Longview Mill White Liquor Implosion Kills Multiple, Injures 10 at Washington Paper Plant
Updated
Updated · KOMO News · May 26
Longview Mill White Liquor Implosion Kills Multiple, Injures 10 at Washington Paper Plant
21 articles · Updated · KOMO News · May 26
Longview fire officials confirmed multiple fatalities after a 7:18 a.m. implosion involving a white-liquor vat at Nippon Dynawave, with 10 people injured and others still unaccounted for.
Ten patients — including one firefighter — were sent to hospitals in Longview and Vancouver with injuries ranging from critical chemical burns to minor wounds; the firefighter was treated and released.
PeaceHealth said it received nine patients from the blast: one died, two were transferred and six remained in fair condition, with no additional arrivals expected.
white liquor — a highly corrosive mix used in the Kraft papermaking process — triggered a hazardous-materials response, though officials said there was no immediate threat to the public.
Governor Bob Ferguson put National Guard teams on alert as state ecology, labor and emergency-management agencies joined local crews at the scene.
Are recurring chemical accidents a sign that the entire U.S. paper industry is ignoring worker safety?
Was the Washington paper mill implosion another preventable disaster caused by known safety failures?