A 900,000-gallon chemical storage tank at the Nippon Dynawave pulp and paper mill in Longview, Washington, imploded just before 7:15am Pacific time on Tuesday, killing at least two workers, leaving nine others missing and presumed dead, and injuring at least nine more, the Longview Fire Department confirmed at a Thursday morning press conference. The death toll could climb further as rescue teams continue work on the buckled tank.
The tank contained "white liquor," an aqueous mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulphide and disodium carbonate that is one of the central reagents in the kraft pulping process. White liquor is strongly alkaline and highly corrosive on contact, and the chemistry has substantially complicated rescue operations. Emergency responders paused overnight work on Tuesday and again on Wednesday evening, citing the structural instability of the collapsed vessel and the risk of chemical exposure to rescue personnel.
Governor Bob Ferguson, who visited the site on Wednesday afternoon, said the state was "bracing ourselves for this being the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history" and ordered the State Department of Labor and Industries to lead a parallel investigation alongside the federal Chemical Safety Board, which dispatched a team from Washington DC overnight Tuesday. The CSB last opened an investigation at a Washington state facility in 2010.
Two workers have been confirmed dead. Gilbert Bernal, a 52-year-old instrument technician with more than fifteen years at the facility, was identified by family members through a Cowlitz County online fundraiser. Jared Ammons, also confirmed by family through a fundraising appeal, was the second confirmed fatality. The remaining nine workers have not been publicly named pending family notification by the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office.
Environmental fallout has been concentrated in the dikes and ditches between Washington Way and Prudential Boulevard. Dead carp have been recovered from drainage canals adjacent to the facility, and the City of Longview has advised residents to stay away from waterways in that corridor until further notice. The US Environmental Protection Agency has set up an air-monitoring perimeter at five locations around the mill, and reports of strong chemical odour have come from Kelso across the Cowlitz River.
Nippon Dynawave is a subsidiary of Tokyo-listed Nippon Paper Industries and operates one of the largest containerboard mills in the Pacific Northwest. The company has paused all production at the site indefinitely and said in a statement that it was "fully cooperating" with both federal and state investigators. The Cowlitz County prosecutor's office has indicated it will conduct a parallel review of the company's safety records and inspection logs.
The mill is the largest private employer in Cowlitz County and accounts for roughly 1,150 direct jobs and an estimated 3,400 indirect jobs in the lower Columbia region. Cowlitz County Commission chair Arne Mortensen on Thursday morning announced a community resource centre would open at the Cowlitz County Event Center to coordinate counselling, financial relief, and assistance for affected families.