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29 May 2026
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Implosion at Longview paper mill kills 11, injures eight including a firefighter, Washington, US
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On May 26, 2026, the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview, Washington, became the site of the deadliest industrial disaster in modern Washington state history. The catastrophic structural failure of a massive chemical tank claimed the lives of 11 workers, injured eight others, who suffered burns and inhalation injuries, along with one firefighter, and triggered a complex, highly dangerous multi-agency emergency response. Just before 07:15am, an industrial storage tank holding roughly 900 000 gallons of "white liquor" failed catastrophically.
White liquor is a highly corrosive, strong alkaline mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphide used in the kraft pulping process to dissolve bonds between wood fibres. Unlike a conventional combustion explosion, this event was a catastrophic structural implosion.
The disaster occurred during a morning shift change. Because of this timing, a high concentration of personnel—including electricians, maintenance crews and incoming operators—were gathered in operational areas and a nearby break room.
The structural collapse immediately trapped multiple workers under heavy concrete and steel debris. Concurrently, an estimated 500 000 gallons of the toxic, burning white liquor flooded the complex, immediately inundating the rubble and exposing trapped personnel to fatal chemical environments.
Implosion
Due to the implosion, Industrial Way was shut down. During the response, the Washington National Guard and Washington State Guard provided decontamination support to search and recovery teams at the site.
The Washington State Department of Health worked with the local health department on a public health assessment, while the Washington State Department of Ecology continued water quality testing and coordinated with federal partners and the company on a plan to remove white liquor from the site. State ecology officials were sent to the site, and the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) opened an investigation.
KGW in Portland reported the contamination from the implosion reached the Columbia River. Longview city officials and Washington governor Bob Ferguson have said that dead carp have been recovered from dikes along the river. Citizens were advised to stay away from any dikes and ditches between Washington Way and Prudential Boulevard due to this contamination. There have been no effects on Longview's air quality and water supply. According to Chief Scott Goldstein of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue, the river was contaminated from the blast
Emergency and fire response
The response was coordinated under a Unified Command consisting of the Longview Fire Department, Cowlitz Fire and Rescue and hazardous materials (HazMat) teams.
The initial rescue triage: First responders arrived to a mass-casualty scene choked by toxic fumes. Crews pulled nine injured individuals from the perimeter. They were rushed by ambulances to PeaceHealth St John Medical Centre in Longview and trauma centres south in Vancouver. One responding firefighter suffered injuries during these initial operations.
The fire hazard: While there was no massive inferno, secondary electrical fires broke out from severed high-voltage lines, and specialized teams had to isolate the facility's power systems while navigating standing pools of highly caustic fluid.
Transition to technical recovery: Because the liquid had a dangerously high pH, ordinary water could not simply be sprayed to dilute it, as runoff would widen the disaster zone. Responders had to utilise specialised buffering acids to neutralise the liquid before search teams could safely enter the structural debris.
The five-day search: Due to the extreme instability of the collapsed structures and the chemical hazards, emergency crews had to halt operations at nightfall on the first day. Over the next four days, technical rescue teams meticulously cleared debris to recover the victims with dignity, finding the final missing worker on May 31.
Environmental mitigation
The plant is located roughly 1 100 feet from the Columbia River. Plant monitoring systems and the Washington State Department of Ecology detected two distinct spikes of high pH discharge moving through local storm drains and ditches toward the river.
The spill killed more than 2 000 fish in local retention areas. To protect public drinking water, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state spill responders rapidly dammed and flushed the contaminated drainage networks. Public health officials successfully prevented the toxic plume from infiltrating city water wells.
Investigation and Safety Legacy
A comprehensive six-month forensic probe was launched by the Washington State Department of Labour and Industries (L&I) alongside federal oversight from the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB).
The structural collapse acted like a pneumatic breach. The sudden inward buckling displaced massive amounts of air and physical energy, creating a shockwave that threw cars across the adjacent parking lot and collapsed multiple structural walls of nearby buildings.
The incident is Washington state's deadliest industrial disaster since 1930, when 17 workers died in an explosion in Carbonado at a mine owned by the Pacific Coast coal company.
Sources: Generative AI, Cowlitz County News, Live, Katu News, Wikipedia, Brandon Swanson, Oregon Public Broadcasting, KPTV, KOMO News, Fox 12, Kuow
White liquor is a highly corrosive, strong alkaline mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphide used in the kraft pulping process to dissolve bonds between wood fibres. Unlike a conventional combustion explosion, this event was a catastrophic structural implosion.
The disaster occurred during a morning shift change. Because of this timing, a high concentration of personnel—including electricians, maintenance crews and incoming operators—were gathered in operational areas and a nearby break room.
The structural collapse immediately trapped multiple workers under heavy concrete and steel debris. Concurrently, an estimated 500 000 gallons of the toxic, burning white liquor flooded the complex, immediately inundating the rubble and exposing trapped personnel to fatal chemical environments.
Implosion
Due to the implosion, Industrial Way was shut down. During the response, the Washington National Guard and Washington State Guard provided decontamination support to search and recovery teams at the site.
The Washington State Department of Health worked with the local health department on a public health assessment, while the Washington State Department of Ecology continued water quality testing and coordinated with federal partners and the company on a plan to remove white liquor from the site. State ecology officials were sent to the site, and the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) opened an investigation.
KGW in Portland reported the contamination from the implosion reached the Columbia River. Longview city officials and Washington governor Bob Ferguson have said that dead carp have been recovered from dikes along the river. Citizens were advised to stay away from any dikes and ditches between Washington Way and Prudential Boulevard due to this contamination. There have been no effects on Longview's air quality and water supply. According to Chief Scott Goldstein of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue, the river was contaminated from the blast
Emergency and fire response
The response was coordinated under a Unified Command consisting of the Longview Fire Department, Cowlitz Fire and Rescue and hazardous materials (HazMat) teams.
The initial rescue triage: First responders arrived to a mass-casualty scene choked by toxic fumes. Crews pulled nine injured individuals from the perimeter. They were rushed by ambulances to PeaceHealth St John Medical Centre in Longview and trauma centres south in Vancouver. One responding firefighter suffered injuries during these initial operations.
The fire hazard: While there was no massive inferno, secondary electrical fires broke out from severed high-voltage lines, and specialized teams had to isolate the facility's power systems while navigating standing pools of highly caustic fluid.
Transition to technical recovery: Because the liquid had a dangerously high pH, ordinary water could not simply be sprayed to dilute it, as runoff would widen the disaster zone. Responders had to utilise specialised buffering acids to neutralise the liquid before search teams could safely enter the structural debris.
The five-day search: Due to the extreme instability of the collapsed structures and the chemical hazards, emergency crews had to halt operations at nightfall on the first day. Over the next four days, technical rescue teams meticulously cleared debris to recover the victims with dignity, finding the final missing worker on May 31.
Environmental mitigation
The plant is located roughly 1 100 feet from the Columbia River. Plant monitoring systems and the Washington State Department of Ecology detected two distinct spikes of high pH discharge moving through local storm drains and ditches toward the river.
The spill killed more than 2 000 fish in local retention areas. To protect public drinking water, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state spill responders rapidly dammed and flushed the contaminated drainage networks. Public health officials successfully prevented the toxic plume from infiltrating city water wells.
Investigation and Safety Legacy
A comprehensive six-month forensic probe was launched by the Washington State Department of Labour and Industries (L&I) alongside federal oversight from the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB).
The structural collapse acted like a pneumatic breach. The sudden inward buckling displaced massive amounts of air and physical energy, creating a shockwave that threw cars across the adjacent parking lot and collapsed multiple structural walls of nearby buildings.
The incident is Washington state's deadliest industrial disaster since 1930, when 17 workers died in an explosion in Carbonado at a mine owned by the Pacific Coast coal company.
Sources: Generative AI, Cowlitz County News, Live, Katu News, Wikipedia, Brandon Swanson, Oregon Public Broadcasting, KPTV, KOMO News, Fox 12, Kuow
