A serious chemical tank explosion occurred early Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging factory in Longview, Cowlitz County, Washington, about 70 km north of Portland, Oregon. The incident left multiple people dead and others seriously injured.
In a joint statement from the Longview Fire Department, Nippon Dynawave Packaging, and the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office, emergency crews arrived at the scene shortly after the blast. Many victims suffered chemical burns and other injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital. Authorities stressed that the explosion "does not pose an immediate threat to the surrounding community."
The official statement confirmed "there are fatalities related to the incident" along with "multiple serious injuries," but did not disclose specific numbers. Scott Goldstein, Director of the Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, who was on-site, said at least 9 workers and 1 firefighter were taken to hospital. At a press conference, he stated the death toll "has not yet been determined."
PeaceHealth St John Medical Center in Longview told ABC News it had received 9 patients related to the incident, including one who was dead on arrival. Six other patients are in stable condition, and two patients were transferred to other medical facilities.
The explosion occurred around 7:15 a.m. local time (14:15 GMT) at a tank containing "white liquor" — a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in pulp production. Mr. Goldstein said the tank had a capacity of 80,000 gallons (about 300,000 liters) and was about 60% full at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, in Southern California, authorities were monitoring an overheating industrial chemical tank containing methyl methacrylate — a flammable chemical used in plastics production — at GKN Aerospace's Garden Grove facility. The worst-case explosion risk was ruled out Monday after a crack relieved pressure. Orange County Fire Authority spokesperson Greg Barta said in a Tuesday morning update that the tank's temperature was stabilizing and crews were working to allow evacuated residents to return home soon.
