A devastating chemical explosion at a Longview, Washington paper packaging plant has left multiple people dead, dozens more injured, and an undetermined number of workers unaccounted for, emergency officials confirmed Tuesday. The blast, which unfolded shortly after 7 a.m. PDT at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility roughly 130 miles south of Seattle, stemmed from the catastrophic rupture of a storage tank holding white liquor, a highly corrosive alkaline chemical core to paper manufacturing processes.
Cowlitz Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein told reporters that while authorities have confirmed the existence of fatalities, the exact death toll remains unknown as search and recovery operations continue at the site. Of the 10 injured people already transported to regional hospitals, nine are Nippon Dynawave employees and one is a responding firefighter. Injuries range from minor scrapes to life-threatening critical conditions, including burn damage and chemical inhalation damage, with company officials confirming multiple patients remain in critical care.
The ruptured tank had a total capacity of 80,000 gallons and was approximately 60 percent full at the time of the explosion, Goldstein said. While the site has been stabilized and emergency responders have ruled out any ongoing hazard to the broader Longview community, local officials have urged the public to avoid the restricted area as recovery work proceeds. The Longview Fire Department noted that personal identifying information for deceased and injured people will not be released until all next of kin have been notified, a standard protocol for mass casualty incidents.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson deployed state environmental response teams to the site to support local emergency operations, and released a statement of condolence Tuesday morning. “I’m deeply saddened to hear that there have been fatalities,” Ferguson said. “My thoughts are with the workers and their families, and with the first responders who are putting their own lives at risk to save others.”
Public records show this is not the first major safety incident at the 1,000-employee facility, which produces a wide range of paper products including tissue, printer paper, disposable food containers and packaging cartons. In July 2023, a large multi-day fire burned through stockpiled wood piles at the same plant, drawing regional emergency response. Unlike a separate ongoing chemical incident in Southern California that forced the evacuation of more than 50,000 residents earlier this week, Washington officials have not issued any evacuation orders for the Longview area.
White liquor, the chemical that leaked following the tank rupture, is a caustic alkaline mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide widely used in the kraft process of wood pulping for paper production. Exposure to the chemical can cause severe chemical burns, permanent organ damage, and respiratory failure if inhaled.