‘Unimaginable Grief’: Longview Community Shaken After Implosion at Paper Mill
Recovery crews are still searching a hazardous site as officials say six of nine victims have been recovered and the spill released more than 500,000 gallons.
- On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, a chemical tank imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, Washington, killing eight people and leaving three others missing.
- The tank was about 60% full during a shift change when it ruptured, spilling more than 500,000 gallons of white liquor, a highly alkaline solution used to break down wood chips in papermaking.
- Soldiers from the Washington National Guard's 10th Homeland Response Force are assisting first responders, while crews use drones to inspect the site before workers enter the hazardous area.
- Longview Public Works Director Chris Collins stated the city's water is safe, though crews are diluting chemicals to a safe pH level before flushing them into the Columbia River.
- Community members have raised more than $50,000 on GoFundMe to support victims' families, while friends remember Braydon Finkas and others lost in the tragedy.
27 Articles
27 Articles
8 deaths reported as 600,000-gallon toxic spill from ruptured mill tank reaches Columbia River
A ruptured chemical tank at a Washington packaging facility has killed several people and left others missing while polluting one of the Pacific Northwest's most important waterways. Officials confirmed that dozens of dead fish were discovered nearby. What's happening? According to KOIN 6 News, the spill reached the Columbia River after a tank failed Tuesday at Nippon Dynawave Packaging's plant in Longview, raising fresh concerns about industria…
The incident in Longview had a high ecological impact, directly affecting the Columbia River, where the Department of Ecology found the death of river fauna and maintains monitoring of water sources.
Longview mill implosion may rank among deadliest, underscores industry dangers
Kraft pulp mills, which have been around for decades, use highly caustic chemicals known as white liquor and high‑temperature, high-pressure industrial processes to turn wood into paper and other products, making them inherently hazardous operations, industry experts say.
Widow of worker killed in Longview mill disaster seeks answers
LONGVIEW, Wash. – Minutes before he died, Jared Ammons texted his wife from his job at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. Hardly an hour ever passed that the two weren’t sending messages back and forth.
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