Washington State Tank Implosion Kills One and Leaves Nine Missing
Investigators said the 80,000-gallon tank was about 60% full and no immediate threat to the surrounding community was reported.
- On Tuesday, a tank containing white liquor ruptured at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview, Washington, around 7:15 a.m., killing at least one person and leaving nine others unaccounted for while injuring 10 people including a firefighter.
- White liquor is a highly caustic alkaline solution made primarily of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used to break down wood chips in kraft paper production; the substance causes severe chemical burns and can only self-neutralize with water over time.
- Battalion Chief Mike Gorsuch described the aftermath as a 'mass casualty scene' as about 40 firefighters and paramedics responded; nine mill employees and one firefighter were transported to hospitals in Longview and Vancouver.
- PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center received nine patients with one deceased, six in fair condition, and two transferred; rescue crews shifted into recovery operations as the unstable tank posed ongoing hazards for emergency personnel.
- The Nippon facility experienced a major industrial fire in July 2023 and faced OSHA citations for serious safety violations in 2021; authorities initially reported the tank held 80,000 gallons but later revised capacity to 900,000 gallons.
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436 Articles
Bellevue Reporter
Confirmed death toll rises to 2 from chemical tank blast in Longview
The death toll from the May 26 chemical tank rupture at a mill in southwest Washington has climbed to at least two people, while nine others remain “unrecovered,” according to authorities.
9 missing after Washington paper mill tank rupture and officials say there's no hope of survivors
LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — A second person who was injured when a large chemical tank ruptured at a Washington state paper mill has died, authorities said Wednesday, bringing the presumed death toll to 11, including nine people who were still missing. Authorities said there was no hope of finding more survivors, but crews were set [...]
Teams were ready Wednesday to resume the search for nine workers from a Washington paper mill where a tank imploded, releasing a highly destructive chemical mixture called "white liquor" and causing at least one confirmed death.
The teams were ready on Wednesday to resume the search for nine workers from a Washington wasteland plant where they imploded a tank, releasing a very destructive chemical mixture called “white liqueur” and causing at least one confirmed death. Authorities pointed out that there was no hope of finding any more survivors of the implosion that occurred Tuesday at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, which also caused injuries to nine other p…
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