11 Dead in Washington Chemical Tank Implosion

All 11 victims of a catastrophic chemical tank implosion at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, have been recovered and identified, authorities confirmed on May 30. The incident, which occurred at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility on the morning of May 26, stands as Washington state’s deadliest industrial disaster since 1930.

According to CBS News, the 900,000-gallon tank containing “white liquor” — a caustic alkaline solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in paper pulping — imploded at approximately 7:15 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The tank was roughly two-thirds full at the time of the failure.

The Victims

Cowlitz County Coroner Dana Tucker identified all 11 victims, who ranged in age from 26 to 58. Nine workers died at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries in hospital. The deceased include Gilbert Bernal, 52; Tyler Covington, 29; Bradley Covington, 27; Robert “Robb” Wilson, 48; Dale Miller, 54; Jared Ammons, 35; Braydon Finkas, 38; Clinton “CJ” Doran, 26; John Forsberg, 51; Norman Barlow, 58; and Dillon Miller.

Eight additional people were injured — seven facility workers with burns and inhalation injuries, along with one firefighter. Five of the injured were discharged from hospitals by May 27.

A Complex Recovery Operation

The implosion occurred during a shift change, with many workers gathered in an employee break room area. The recovery effort was painstakingly slow due to hazardous conditions at the site. Longview Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Amos described the scene as “very complex,” with exposed electrical wiring and collapsed structures complicating the search, as PBS NewsHour reported.

Six bodies were recovered on May 28 from the workers’ area. One additional body was found on May 29, and the final two were recovered on May 30. Crews had to rotate in and out of the scene, undergoing decontamination each time they left.

“I can share that we have recovered the ninth and final missing employee of this incident,” Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig said at a press conference on May 30. “I hope today will give the families so affected by this incident the closure needed to begin the long process of healing.”

Environmental Impact

The rupture released white liquor into nearby drainage ditches and the Columbia River. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) opened an investigation on May 27, with CSB Chairperson Steve Owens stating the agency would determine “how it happened and what can be done to prevent something like this from happening again.”

EPA coordinator Brooks Stanfield said the volume of white liquor that reached the Columbia River was “very limited” and that it remains safe to fish and swim in the river. Dead carp were found in contaminated dikes, however, and authorities implemented a two-part plan to flush and dilute the chemicals from the ditch system. No airborne contamination was detected, and Longview’s drinking water — drawn from an aquifer 200 feet deep — was confirmed safe.

Facility History and Safety Concerns

The mill, originally opened by Weyerhaeuser in 1953 and purchased by Japan’s Nippon Paper Industries in 2016, had a history of prior incidents. According to USA Today, a large wood chip pile fire in July 2023 caused unhealthy air quality in Portland, and another fire occurred in 2025 with no injuries. The company was cited in 2025 for moving equipment before completing an investigation into an employee’s finger amputation, and in March 2026, workers notified state safety officials about a sinkhole created by a drain hole in the floor. Nippon also received a $12,000 fine from the Washington State Department of Ecology for pollution violations in the last two years.

Official Response

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson visited Longview alongside U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Ferguson said he was “deeply saddened” by the fatalities and noted the state was “bracing ourselves for this being the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history.”

Nippon Dynawave Director of Support Services Brian Wood said the mill has been shut down, with only critical infrastructure operating at minimum staffing. The company has made arrangements to pay workers not on duty.

Broader Implications

Chemical engineering experts note that catastrophic tank failures remain extremely rare in the United States. The CSB investigated only five major chemical spills or explosions in 2024 and 2025 combined, according to The Guardian. However, the U.S. has approximately 12,000 industrial sites handling hazardous chemicals, and when failures do occur, the consequences can be devastating.

The CSB investigation will examine root causes and issue safety recommendations, though the agency does not have enforcement authority. OSHA may pursue separate enforcement actions. The disaster has already raised questions about whether prior citations and safety complaints at the facility indicated systemic problems that were not adequately addressed.

What’s Next

As the community of Longview — a city of approximately 40,000 with deep ties to the paper and lumber industries — begins to mourn, multiple investigations remain ongoing. The CSB, Washington State Department of Ecology, and the EPA are all examining different aspects of the disaster. Questions about the root cause of the tank implosion, potential regulatory gaps, and long-term environmental impacts to the Columbia River remain unanswered.

For the families of the 11 workers who lost their lives, the recovery of all bodies has brought a measure of closure, even as the broader reckoning over workplace safety at the facility is only beginning.