A massive tank ruptured at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, early Tuesday morning, releasing caustic chemicals that killed and injured workers and spilled into local waterways.

Here are five things to know about an event Washington’s governor says could be the “deadliest industrial tragedy in modern history.”

1. The death toll is likely to climb

Two people have been declared dead as a result of the chemical release at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. But another nine people who were on site at the time are unaccounted for. Firefighters have indicated they do not expect to find any survivors.

Friends and family have confirmed that Gilbert Bernal, 52, was among those killed. Bernal worked at Nippon Dynawave as an instrument technician after taking night classes while parenting and working full time, his daughter Geo Bernal told OPB.

“He literally did everything for us,” she said. “It’s just really, actually, heartbreaking that the career that he worked so hard, is what took him out.”

OPB is only naming those injured or killed following the chemical release after confirming their identities with officials or loved ones.

2. Recovery crews are navigating a challenging scene

The tank rupture happened during a shift change, so more people were on site than usual and they were moving between different spaces. Although there are some surveillance cameras at the paper mill, the camera network does not make it clear where all the missing staff were at the time of the chemical release.

The damaged chemical tank is unstable and still leaking. It’s also at the heart of a complex industrial site criss-crossed by pipelines, power lines and chemicals. That’s made it hard to use aerial drones to assess the site and seek out missing people, Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson, a Longview resident, told OPB’s “Think Out Loud.”

As people involved in the recovery effort prioritize their own safety, the going has been slow.

3. The danger appears contained — mostly

Longview Fire Department staff said the chemical release was contained to the industrial site where it took place, and residents of surrounding areas were not at risk. The Washington Department of Ecology says Longview’s air quality and drinking water are not affected.

But tens of thousands of gallons of the caustic chemical known as white liquor, which is used to break wood chips into pulp to make paper, escaped. Some reached a storm drain system that flows to the Columbia River. State officials say people should stay away from dikes and ditches for now. They are still monitoring and conducting tests, and a local diking district is pumping potentially contaminated water away from rivers and the drinking water system.

4. It could be Washington’s deadliest workplace accident in a century

The death toll may not be final for quite some time, but the tragedy in Longview appears to be more severe than any since the days of coal mine disasters. Washington state’s last mining disaster was in 1930, when 17 people died.

Since then, workplace disasters have been infrequent and generally small. The state’s most recent large-scale workplace fatality event was in 2010, when seven people died at a refinery explosion in Anacortes.

In Longview, a close-knit community where many firefighters and other first responders have direct ties to the Nippon mill, the potential scale of Tuesday’s chemical release has shaken many people involved in the response.

“It continues to be incredibly difficult for us,” Matt Amos, Longview Fire battalion chief, said. “We appreciate the professionalism of the responders working this operation, and the patience and support everyone has shown.

5. Longview has been a timber and paper mill town since its founding

Timber giant Weyerhaeuser arrived in Longview in 1925, one year after the city was officially incorporated, according to a company history. The company built what was then the world’s largest lumber mill there, and in 1931 opened a neighboring mill that made pulp to turn into paper.

Japanese company Nippon bought Weyerhaeuser’s Longview pulp and paper mill in 2016 for $285 million, and the site continues to be a major employer in the region. About 115,000 people live in the greater Longview-Kelso area, with about 1,000 people working at the Nippon Dynawave mill.

Local officials have raised concerns about whether Tuesday’s disaster could imperil a major employment hub.

“Folks here have watched mill after mill close across this state, always wondering if their mill is next,” U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Longview, said Wednesday. The congresswoman called for a plan to address failures “so we can have safe jobs, come home to our families at night, and rebuild public trust.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/28/longview-paper-mill-disaster-5-things-to-know/