By Joseph De Avila and Mariah Timms
Two people have died and nine others remain missing after a chemical tank collapsed in Longview, Wash., authorities said Wednesday.
A tank holding white liquor, a chemical used to make paper, failed Tuesday morning, releasing about 500,000 gallons of the product into a plant owned by a subsidiary of Nippon Paper Industries, local fire officials said. White liquor is a highly caustic alkaline chemical, like bleach, that is used to break down wood into pulp as part of the paper-making process. It can cause corrosive burns, according to the National Institutes of Health.
First responders took 10 people to the hospital on Tuesday, including eight workers and one firefighter, said Matt Amos, battalion chief of the Longview Fire Department, at a news conference. One individual was reported dead on Tuesday. Officials said Wednesday that another died from their injuries at the hospital.
About 90,000 gallons of the chemical is left in the tank and remains unstable, complicating recovery efforts, said Scott Goldstein, chief of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue. Officials said there is no hope of finding additional survivors.
While the cause of the tank's failure is still unknown, fire officials said there is no threat to the surrounding community's air quality or drinking water. Standing water is still being tested.
Concerns about the structural integrity of the tank delayed recovery efforts, according to the Longview Fire Department. Recovered bodies will need to be decontaminated before they are taken to the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office for identification and family notification, the department said Wednesday afternoon.
The tank failure in Longview, located in Cowlitz County about 130 miles south of Seattle, was the second notable incident involving a chemical tank at an industrial site in recent days. An industrial tank at a plant in Garden Grove, Calif., began leaking last week, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. Fire officials there lifted the evacuation orders Tuesday after stabilizing the site.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the Washington National Guard would assist with search and recovery efforts in Longview.
"Everyone is working very hard together in full cooperation, which will help us get through this challenging time," Ferguson said.
Nippon Paper Industries said it apologized for the immense concern the incident has caused the community.
"We express our deepest condolences and offer our heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families," the company said.
Write to Joseph De Avila at joseph.deavila@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 27, 2026 16:30 ET (20:30 GMT)
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