The death toll from Tuesday's industrial tank rupture at a Washington state paper mill has risen to two, with nine people still missing and presumed dead, authorities announced. The Longview fire department stated Wednesday afternoon that one person transported to the hospital after the disaster at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co has died. Recovery efforts, delayed due to safety concerns about the damaged tank's structural integrity, are set to begin - though officials have made it clear there is no hope of finding additional survivors.
The incident began when an industrial tank ruptured, releasing white liquor - a highly destructive chemical mixture used in papermaking. In the initial aftermath, one death and nine injuries were confirmed, including a firefighter who responded to the scene. Before crews can recover the missing, they must stabilize the tank, which risks further collapse and additional leakage of the caustic liquid. Officials will only work during daylight due to the dangers.
“An inspection revealed the remaining product is a significantly smaller volume, allowing emergency responders to develop a plan to move forward to remove it,” the fire department said. While the cause remains unknown, authorities assure there is no threat to the community of about 40,000 people, a Columbia River city with deep ties to the paper and lumber industries. This is the second notable chemical tank failure in days on the West Coast, following a damaged tank at an aerospace plant that prompted evacuations in Southern California.
The sprawling Longview plant, employing about 1,000 people, produces material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates, and cartons. The tank held roughly 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of a liquid composed mostly of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide - known as “white liquor,” used with heat to break down wood for kraft paper. Cowlitz County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said Tuesday night that about 90,000 gallons (over 340,000 liters) remained inside. “We don’t know until we know, hopefully tomorrow, how we can stabilize the tank. Do we remove the product first? Do we stabilize the tank first or vice versa?” Goldstein said.
Following the rupture, the liquid spilled into a drainage ditch, according to state ecology spokesperson Brittny Goodsell. Officials say there are no air quality or drinking water issues in Longview but urge the public to avoid ditches and dikes while water testing proceeds. The Washington State Department of Ecology and the US Environmental Protection Agency are overseeing operations to determine environmental impacts.
At a community vigil Tuesday night, dozens gathered to pray, light candles, and embrace loved ones. Crystal Moldenhauer, a Longview resident with friends at the plant who remain unaccounted for, said people have been calling and texting all day to piece together what happened. “We’re all still waiting for answers,” she said. “There’s families that have been torn apart, and we don’t know why.”
Safety complaints were filed against Nippon Dynawave in March and May, but the state’s labor and industries department says both were unrelated to the current incident - one was an anonymous complaint about a valve on a tank, not the one that imploded. Since the start of 2021, the company has been fined $3,400 for three separate health and safety violations, according to the department’s online database. Nationwide, 43 people died from hazardous chemical incidents between January 2021 and mid-October 2023, according to a late 2023 report by a network of environmental justice organizations.