UPDATE: 9 Nippon workers still missing; one dead; many injured after morning white liquor tank blast

Here's the latest Joint statement from Nippon Dynawave and the city of Longview; tank held far more chemical than first reported; recovery efforts slowed by unstable conditions

Fumes drift out of the white liquor tank damaged by a blast at Nippon Dynawave Tuesday morning. City of Longview photo

Editors note: A previous version of the story had the wrong amount of white liquor remaining in the tank.

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 90,000 gallons of white liquor, about 10% of its full capacity.

Editor’s s note: White liquor is the fresh chemical cooking solution used in the Kraft pulping process to dissolve the lignin that binds wood fibers together. It is a highly alkaline mixture of water, sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide It is considered extremely dangerous and is highly corrosive.

Longview Fire and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue estimate that 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

• 8 employee injuries

• 1 firefighter injury

• 1 fatality

Officials can also confirm there are 9 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.