Chemical Tank Rupture Causes Fatalities, Injuries at Washington Pulp and Paper Mill Plant

LONGVIEW — One person was killed, nine were injured and nine others remain missing after a major industrial incident Tuesday morning at a pulp and paper mill in this Southwest Washington city.

The rupture of a chemical tank was reported around 7:20 a.m. at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview, according to the city’s Fire Department. Eight employees and a firefighter were injured; it's unclear if the person who died was an employee. All nine of the people who remained unaccounted for late Tuesday work at the mill.

The cause of the implosion was not clear Tuesday evening, as recovery efforts remained ongoing. Emergency crews were assessing the structural integrity of the damaged tank and working to stabilize it before recovery operations can safely proceed, said Chief Scott Goldstein of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue.

Although he could not offer many specifics on further recovery efforts, Goldstein said there is a concern about additional leakage from the tanks because it is caustic.

Joined by local emergency response officials, Gov. Bob Ferguson, Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and other state elected officials spoke in front of the facility.

With disasters of this magnitude, it's difficult always to find the words in times like this," said Ferguson at the evening news conference.

"On behalf of the people of the state of Washington, I want you to know that we stand with you, we'll be here to do anything we can to help with the situation, and we'll be here as long as it takes," Ferguson told the people of Longview. "We also deeply appreciate the first responders."

Various state agencies have been mobilized, including the Washington National Guard Civil Support Team and Department of Ecology. Ferguson said he has directed the National Guard to assist with search and recovery in a contaminated environment, and to help with decontamination.

Once first responders finish their efforts, the state Department of Labor and Industries will begin an investigation.

Those hurt had injuries ranging from minor to critical, Goldstein said. The firefighter has since been released from the hospital. The injured were taken by ambulance to hospitals in Longview and south to Vancouver.

Emergency responders continued monitoring the site Tuesday evening but couldn't resume their efforts until Wednesday because of safety concerns.

There are no wider health threats from the implosion, said Washington State Department of Ecology spokesperson Anna Izenman. But spill responders are monitoring for affected wildlife.

The pulp and paper mill employs around 550 people, producing about 280,000 tons of product each year, according to Ecology. The site's liquid packaging plant has about 450 employees.

The mill has a long history of environmental and other violations with both federal and state regulators, though the resulting fines have been relatively minor.

'An absolute tragedy'

Spill responders deployed to the paper mill, where the tank released a substance called white liquor into the storm drain system, which connects to the diking system, Izenman said. The diking system's pumps, which discharge to the Columbia River, were shut off.

White liquor is a mix of heavily caustic chemical compounds that, when heated, break down wood so pulp can be extracted.

The tank that ruptured containing the white liquor held about 900,000 gallons, the city of Longview said Thursday evening. Officials had previously estimated the tank contained 80,000 gallons. About 90,000 gallons may still be inside the damaged tank.

White liquor can't be contained and collected like oil, Izenman said. It can only "self-neutralize" with water over time.

The implosion required a large response from fire-and-rescue agencies and coordinating with hospitals as the number of reported patients climbed, according to 911 calls and dispatch records.

One employee called 911 and reported multiple people in the plant had chemical burns or were missing. The employees with burns were still at the implosion site, the 911 caller said, and he couldn’t say for sure if everyone was safe and out of danger, according to 911 audio obtained by The Seattle Times.

“We need rescue units, fire department, everyone,” he told a 911 dispatcher.

911 dispatchers also fielded calls from family of employees, saying their loved ones worked at the plant but they couldn’t get in touch with them.

Murray, D-Wash., had tours planned throughout Southwest Washington on Tuesday but canceled the open press events out of respect for those affected, her office said.

"Today’s implosion was an absolute tragedy, the lawmaker said in a statement.

Checkered history at major industrial site

The site has a long list of environmental violations, complaints and safety citations, including a longstanding and “significant” inability to abide by contaminant regulations, sometimes exceeding its limits by nearly 800%, federal records show.

In 2017, about 4,000 to 5,000 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled at the Nippon Dynawave plant, local officials said at the time, according to past news reports. The spill was quickly contained and no one was injured.

The company called 911 to report the incident, which was caught by a containment moat, Nippon Dynawave said at the time.

Over the last five years, officials with the Environmental Protection Agency informally cited Nippon Dynawave Packaging for at least 19 air and water violations. Conditions were so bad that the agency resorted to more formal citations at least five times.

For all these informal and formal violations, the mill has been fined a total of $16,000, EPA records show. So far the agency has collected $10,000 of that.

Federal officials have also cited the mill for violations including the improper operation and maintenance of equipment, industrial spills, failure to conduct inspections and more. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the facility for two separate violations over the past five years, one of which garnered a $700 fine.

Not to mention, Washington’s Department of Ecology fined the company twice in 2024 for wastewater and air pollution violations. The penalties totaled $6,500.

Japan-based Nippon Paper Industries bought the liquid packaging mill in 2016 from Weyerhaeuser Co., a Seattle-based timberland company, for $285 million.

Seattle Times staff reporter Lulu Ramadan and news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this story.

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