Chemical Vat Implosion at Washington Paper Mill Injures Multiple Workers

Multiple people suffered injuries, including chemical burns, in a chemical vat implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, Washington, on Tuesday morning. m. and involved a vat of chemical treatment product. Authorities initially described the event as a chemical explosion.

Injured workers were transported by ambulance to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver. The extent of their injuries remains unclear. Fire crews and a Hazardous Materials Team remained on scene working with Nippon Dynawave employees to mitigate the product and container involved, the department said in a social media alert.

There is no immediate threat to the public, authorities said. Residents were urged to avoid the area during the emergency response.

The Nippon facility sits on the Washington-Oregon border near the Columbia River. It operates as a kraft pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. The mill employs 550 workers and produces around 280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard, wetlap, and slush pulp each year.

The company states its products are converted into eight billion single-serve containers annually. A multi-day fire occurred at the same paper mill in 2023, according to KCBY.