'Major chemical explosion' kills, injures multiple people

A "major chemical explosion" at a facility in Washington state on May 26 resulted in injuries and death, authorities said.

The explosion happened at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, Washington, about an hour north and over the state border from Portland, according to the Longview Fire Department. At about 7:18 a.m. local time, the department responded to "the rupture of a tank containing white liquor," a chemical mixture used in the process of making paper.

"Officials can also confirm fatalities related to the incident," the company and city officials said in a joint statement.

Multiple people suffered chemical burns and other injuries and were taken by ambulance to local hospitals, the fire department said.

Scott Goldstein, chief of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, said an "unknown number" of people were killed and some remain unaccounted for, but declined to say exactly how many. Goldstein said 10 people, including one firefighter, were hospitalized with injuries ranging from "critical, severe to minor."

Jim Murez, a spokesperson for PeaceHealth, said the medical center in Longview received nine patients from the incident, one of whom is deceased and six of whom are in "fair condition." The final two patients were transferred to other facilities.

Identifying information about the victims has not yet been released pending notification of their loved ones, the statement said.

The facility is a pulp and paper mill and a liquid packaging plant, according to the Washington Department of Ecology, which said it regulates the "air, water, and hazardous waste activities" there.

There is no immediate threat to the public, the fire department said. Fire crews and a hazmat team were working with the facility's employees to mitigate the chemical treatment product and container involved.

"The industrial sites here along the Columbia River are very well established and have great safety protocols," Goldstein said when asked about the environmental impact of the incident. "The concern is understood, but is one that we said from the very beginning was not a concern to the neighbors in the community around."

The pulp and paper mill has about 550 employees and makes "280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard and wetlap and slush pulp each year," according to the Ecology Department. The liquid packaging plant has about 450 employees.

The facility produces bleached paperboard that is used to make cartons and cups for products such as milk, juice coffee and sake, according to a 2023 news release.

Nippon Dynawave didn't immediately respond to a request for comment when reached by USA TODAY. The Washington Department of Ecology also did not respond to an inquiry.