A catastrophic chemical tank rupture at a Longview, Washington paper mill has left two workers dead, seven other people injured, and nine crew members unaccounted for, in what state officials have called the deadliest industrial accident in modern Washington state history. The incident unfolded Tuesday at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility, located roughly 130 miles south of Seattle, when a tank storing white liquor — a highly corrosive alkaline chemical used in paper manufacturing — suffered a catastrophic failure.
By Wednesday, emergency officials confirmed two fatalities, after one injured worker initially hospitalized following the blast succumbed to injuries. Seven employees and one responding firefighter were among those hurt in the incident, and rescue crews have not given up the slow, painstaking work of locating the nine still missing. However, officials have cautioned that they do not expect to find any additional survivors, given the force of the blast and the extreme hazards at the site.
First responders have faced extraordinary challenges throughout the recovery operation. The accident site remains an active, extremely hazardous zone, with persistent slow leaks of corrosive chemical from the damaged tank. While hundreds of thousands of gallons of white liquor have already spilled, an estimated 25,000 gallons remain trapped inside the compromised structure, and ongoing concerns about the tank’s structural integrity have forced repeated delays to search efforts. Recovery operations were halted entirely overnight Tuesday due to the combined risks of darkness and unstable conditions, resuming at dawn Wednesday.
Search crews are outfitted in specialized chemical protective gear, but Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Amos noted that even top-tier equipment cannot eliminate all industrial hazards present at the site. “Operations will be slow, methodical and deliberate… while treating every victim with the greatest dignity, care and respect as possible,” Amos told reporters at a Wednesday news conference. As any remains are recovered, they will first go through mandatory decontamination before being transferred to the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office for formal identification and family notification. One of the two confirmed victims has been publicly identified by his family as Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather and long-time employee who was set to celebrate his 32nd wedding anniversary just weeks after the blast. Bernal’s daughter Geovana remembered him as a hardworking, selfless man who deeply loved his family. The second victim’s identity has not yet been released.
A large volume of chemical contaminants from the spill have entered the nearby Columbia River, but state and local officials have confirmed that local drinking water supplies and regional air quality remain unaffected by the release. Cowlitz Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein told reporters that authorities still do not know the exact location of all nine missing workers, as large portions of the facility remain too dangerous to access for search teams.
The Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility, which employs roughly 1,000 workers and produces a range of paper goods including tissues, printer paper, disposable food packaging and cardboard cartons, has a prior record of industrial incidents: in July 2023, a large multi-day fire broke out at the site, burning piles of stored wood for several days. In response to the blast, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has deployed the state National Guard to assist with recovery and cleanup efforts. As operations continue, local community members have gathered near the site to support first responders and the families of the missing and deceased.