The ruined vat at Nippon Dynawave Packaging, the scene of the tragedy (Photo: City of Longview)
Disaster struck a troubled pulp and paper mill located in one of Washington’s biggest port communities this morning when a chemical vat imploded, killing at least one person and possibly several more, as well as injuring nine others.
The vat contained white liquor, a hot mixture of water, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and sodium sulfide (Na2S) that is used to convert wood into wood pulp. It ruptured at approximately 7:18 AM Pacific Time. It is part of a large facility belonging to Nippon Dynawave Packaging, located at 3401 Industrial Way in Longview.
The City of Longview’s initial announcement of the calamity added:
Officials say there is no immediate threat to the public.
Multiple people suffered chemical burns and other injuries and were transported by ambulance to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.
The extent of the injuries is not fully known at this time.
Fire crews and a Hazardous Materials Team remain on scene working with Nippon Dynawave employees to mitigate the product and container involved.
Responding agencies include Longview Fire Department, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, and other emergency responders. The response includes five fire engines, seven ambulances, a Hazardous Materials Team, and four chief officers.
A subsequent announcement provided more details:
Emergency responders continue recovery and stabilization operations at Nippon Dynawave Packaging following Tuesday morning’s industrial incident involving the rupture of a tank containing white liquor at the facility located at 3401 Industrial Way. Recovery efforts remain complex due to ongoing safety concerns at the site.
While originally believed to contain approximately 80,000 gallons, officials now report the tank held approximately 900,000 gallons of white liquor.
Longview Fire and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue estimate roughly 90,000 gallons of material may remain inside the damaged tank.
Currently, the tank remains unstable, creating hazardous conditions for emergency personnel. Responders are continuing efforts to structurally reinforce and stabilize the site before additional recovery operations can safely proceed.
These conditions continue to impact portions of the facility and limit access to some areas of the site. Officials state there is currently no direct threat to the surrounding community.
Recovery operations remain focused on safely accessing all affected areas of the facility, recovering victims, and supporting impacted families, while ensuring the safety of emergency responders working within unstable conditions.
Emergency responders have confirmed:
10 individuals were transported to area hospitals:
o 8 employee injuries
o 1 firefighter injury
o 1 fatality
Officials can also confirm there are nine employees who remain unaccounted for. All identified families have now been notified.
Numerous local, regional, and state agencies continue coordinating response and recovery operations alongside facility personnel.
State officials are planning a visit to the site. The site will continue to be monitored overnight, but recovery efforts will not resume until tomorrow due to ongoing safety concerns. This is the final scheduled public update for today. Additional verified information will be released as it becomes available.
[…]
This afternoon, officials indicated there were no additional press briefings planned for this evening. However, due to the scale and evolving nature of the incident, a press conference has now been scheduled for 7 PM tonight regarding the industrial incident at Nippon Dynawave Packaging.
Representatives from responding agencies and state officials will provide an operational update regarding ongoing recovery and stabilization efforts.
The press conference will be livestreamed on the Longview Fire Department Facebook page.
The pulp and paper mill where the vat imploded has a very troubled history.
Reporting by The Seattle Times and KGW has confirmed that state and federal regulators repeatedly found the plant, a former Weyerhaeuser facility now owned by a Japanese company, to be in violation of environmental and safety laws.
The site has a long list of environmental violations, complaints and safety concerns, including a longstanding and “significant” inability to abide by contaminant regulations, sometimes exceeding limits by nearly 800%, federal records show.
Over the last five years, officials with the Environmental Protection Agency have informally cited the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co., for Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act violations at least 19 times and conditions were so bad that the agency resorted to more formal citations at least five times.
From the start of 2024 to the end of last year, the facility was found to have sustained a period of “significant” noncompliance for a portion of its discharged waste, or effluent, which exceeded federal standards for months on end — except when the mill failed to report their data — and spiked at 770% its normal limit last August.
Of the five formal penalties leveled by the EPA against the mill, the two most recent were for a clean air act violation and a violation related to its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
For all its official violations over the last few years, the mill has been fined a total of $16,000, EPA records show. The agency has so far collected $10,000 of that.
The mill has also recorded violations for the improper operation and maintenance of equipment, industrial spills, failure to conduct inspections and more, EPA data shows.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Nippon in April 2025 with a violation related to moving equipment that had been involved in an accident and in September 2021 related to employees working with unprotected sides or edges, for which it was fined $700.
There were two complaints filed against the company this year as well, one related to health concerns and another for safety concerns. Both cases remain open.
Washington’s Department of Ecology fined the company $2,000 in 2024 for wastewater pollution and $4,500 for releasing more sulfur dioxide into the air than its permit allows.
There were two complaints filed against the company this year as well, one for health concerns and another for safety concerns. Both are still open.
KGW’s story on the site’s history adds these details:
Following Tuesday’s explosion, the Department of Labor and Industries said investigators are on scene and will begin a formal investigation after emergency responders complete rescue and recovery operations. That investigation could take up to six months.
The Longview facility has also experienced multiple fires in recent years.
In August 2025, a two-alarm fire destroyed a warehouse and locomotive repair shop operated by Patriot Rail on Nippon Dynawave property. The building, used to repair and maintain railroad equipment, was considered a total loss. No injuries were reported.
In September 2023, firefighters battled a massive chip fire at the paper mill that burned for days. Investigators later ruled the fire accidental, though the exact cause could not be determined.
The blaze damaged conveyor belts, a barge dock, a barge and a maintenance outbuilding. Smoke from the fire drifted across Southwest Washington, prompting unhealthy air quality conditions in the region.
The mill’s history dates back to the early 1950s and the sale from Weyerhauser was finalized almost ten years ago, according to Nippon Dynawave’s LinkedIn page:
Our facility has been manufacturing liquid packaging board in Longview Washington since 1953. On September 1, 2016 Nippon Dynawave Packaging celebrated our first day operating the facility as a new subsidiary of Nippon Paper Industries.
We produce coated and uncoated liquid packaging board for sales to converting customers in North America, Asia and around the world.
An October 10th, 2023 news release from the company’s parent Nippon Paper Industries (which may have have been translated from Japanese to English by the company, since it contains a number of passages which aren’t in proper English) says the mill manufactures a paper carton product called LiterLyte which is described as “a next-generation environmentally friendly product that contributes to reducing emissions”:
Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (head office : Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Toru Nozawa, hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) has used the lightest base paper in Japan for 1Lpaper cartons in its lineup of paper cartons NP-PAK products “LiterLyte(R)” and start supplying it in October.
LiterLyte(R) is a paper cartons made from base paper jointly developed by the Company Dynawave Packaging, a subsidiary of the Company Dynawave Packaging in the United States, which achieves an 8% weight reduction compared to conventional products while maintaining strength and ease of use. It is a next-generation environmentally friendly product that contributes to reducing emissions.
By reducing the amount of pulp per pack in Paper containers, which are originally biomass materials with high environmental performance, by 8% compared to conventional products, we have contributed to the global environment by reducing CO₂ emissions.
It has been Recruitment in the following products of Shikoku Dairy (Toon City, Ehime Prefecture) and Kagoshima Dairy (Satsuma Kawauchi City, Kagoshima Prefecture), which focus on its environmental performance, and will be sold to the general public from October. In addition, we are considering trial Recruitment from domestic dairy manufacturers, including the Kumamoto Prefecture Dairy Cooperative Federation (Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture).
With the Slogan of “Shaping the Future with Trees,” the Company focuses on the field of paper packaging, aiming to contribute to the rich life and cultural development of people. We will continue to pursue the potential of paper cartons born from the renewable resource “Wood,” and will continue to make various proposals to accelerate our efforts to further Recruitment of LiterLyte.
“My team and I are tracking developments in Longview closely after a major chemical explosion,” said Governor Bob Ferguson.
“Responders from our state Department of Ecology have been deployed to the scene. I’m deeply saddened to hear that there have been fatalities. My thoughts are with the workers and their families, and with the first responders.”
In a subsequent statement, the governor added: “I just met with leaders at key state agencies tracking the latest on the Longview explosion. Ecology and L&I have teams are on the scene. Washington State Emergency Management is in constant communication with local responders. I directed our National Guard teams on alert. We’ll be sharing updates as the situation develops. My prayers are with the families of those lost in this tragedy.”
“I am devastated by reports of fatalities following today’s chemical explosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility in Longview,” said Senator Maria Cantwell. “My heart is with the workers, families, and entire Longview community as they wait for updates about their loved ones. I’m grateful to the first responders who are on the scene working to keep people safe. We are closely monitoring the situation and remain in contact with state and local officials. Please follow instructions from local authorities.”
The governor later said he was on his way to Longview.
Senator Patty Murray cancelled her Southwest Washington press events and said: “My heart is with everyone who lost a loved one today & the workers injured from the implosion at Nippon Dynawave in Longview. I’m grateful for the heroism of the first responders and health care workers on the frontlines of this disaster.”
“My gratitude goes to the Longview Fire Department and all the first responders who arrived at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company this morning to respond to the explosion,” said Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. “My heart go out to the families of those killed and injured by this terrible blast. These families will need our help and support in the months and years ahead. If you pray, now is a good time to send up some prayers for the millworkers in Longview and their families.”