Why It Matters
The catastrophic failure of a chemical storage tank at a southwest Washington paper mill has claimed at least eight lives, with three additional workers still unaccounted for and presumed dead. The disaster has raised urgent questions about industrial safety oversight and poses potential environmental risks to the region’s drinking water supply and waterways, including the Columbia River.
What Happened
Recovery crews announced Thursday afternoon that six employees previously listed as missing had been located at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview, Washington. Combined with two deaths confirmed earlier, the confirmed death toll now stands at eight, with three victims still not recovered.
The tank failed Tuesday morning, releasing roughly 600,000 gallons of white liquor — a highly caustic chemical compound used in paper production that can cause severe burns on contact. The initial confirmed death toll was two before recovery operations expanded into the hazardous conditions inside the facility.
Battalion Chief Matt Amos of the Longview Fire Department said the recovered victims appeared to be found in a section of the mill where workers typically gathered at the start of a shift to receive daily work assignments. Recovered bodies are being decontaminated before transfer to the county coroner’s office for formal identification.
“We are working diligently, and crews have from the beginning, to have the best outcome,” Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig said at a press conference Thursday.
Members of the Washington National Guard’s Homeland Response Force have been assisting first responders throughout the recovery operation.
Environmental and Public Health Concerns
White liquor from the ruptured tank flowed into the nearby Columbia River and a local diking system. The full volume of the chemical release beyond the plant boundary remains under assessment. Authorities are flushing contaminated water from Longview’s ditch network using water drawn from the Cowlitz River and fire hydrants, with the goal of diluting it enough to safely discharge into the Columbia River.
One of the more pressing concerns involves a ditch carrying contaminated water that sits directly above an aquifer and well field that supplies Longview’s drinking water. Federal on-scene coordinator Brooks Stanfield of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed the contaminated water was successfully redirected away from the wellhead protection area.
Longview Public Works Director Chris Collins offered reassurance to residents: “Our well is very protected from any sort of surface environmental concerns.” Officials emphasized that drinking water remains safe, though they cautioned that a prolonged presence of the contaminated water in the ditch system increases the risk of aquifer exposure.
Residents were urged to stay out of the city’s ditches and dike areas. Dead fish were found in affected ditches, though Stanfield said swimming and fishing in the Columbia River remain safe. Air quality monitoring has not detected contamination, officials said.
Questions have emerged about the regulatory oversight of the failed tank, including whether state agencies had a defined inspection role at the facility prior to the disaster. Federal chemical safety investigators have opened a formal probe into the circumstances leading up to the failure.
By the Numbers
- 8 confirmed dead as of Thursday afternoon
- 3 workers still unaccounted for and presumed dead
- 600,000 gallons of white liquor held in the failed tank
- 9 injured workers initially transported to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview
- 2 patients remain hospitalized at the Legacy Oregon Burn Center
Facility Status and Worker Support
Nippon Dynawave has halted most operations at the Longview mill, keeping only critical infrastructure running. Company Director of Support Services Brian Wood confirmed that employees not currently working are being paid during the shutdown.
Among those treated at PeaceHealth St. John, four patients were transferred to other facilities, four were discharged, and one died. Injuries included chemical skin burns and airway and eye irritation ranging from mild to severe.
What’s Next
Recovery efforts for the three remaining missing workers are ongoing, complicated by hazardous conditions throughout the facility. Federal investigators will continue their inquiry into what caused the tank to fail. Environmental officials will monitor contamination levels in the ditch system and Columbia River as dilution efforts proceed, and local authorities will continue to assess any risk to the city’s drinking water supply.
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