Nippon Dynawave Mill Disaster: Latest Updates

Longview, WA, and the surrounding communities were devastated last week when a white liquor tank accident occurred at Nippon Dynawave Packaging’s Longview mill.

According to the Washington State’s Department of Ecology, on the morning of Tuesday, May 26, a deadly chemical spill occurred when the 900,000-gallon capacity industrial tank—approximately two-thirds full of caustic white liquor at the time—burst around 7 a.m., spilling the chemical into the dike system that drains into the Columbia River.

Although emergency responders, hazardous materials teams, and environmental agencies arrived quickly, in the immediate aftermath of the incident due to highly dangerous conditions. It was not until Saturday, May 30, that the bodies of all 10 missing crew members had been recovered and identified, for a total of eleven lives lost in what Governor Bob Ferguson’s office calls “the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history.” Several others had been injured, with some hospitalized due to inhalation injuries and chemical burns. The names of the eleven victims are reported as:

• Jared Ammons, 35, Longview, WA;
• Norman Barlow, 58, Vancouver, WA;
• Gilbert Bernal, 52, of Kelso, WA;
• Bradley Covington, 27, Castle Rock, WA;
• Tyler Covington, 29, Castle Rock, WA;
• Clinton Doran, 26, Kelso, WA;
• Braydon Finkas, 38, Cathlamet, WA;
• John Forsberg, 51, Longview, WA;
• Dale Miller, 54, Portland, OR:
• Dillon Miller, age/residency not confirmed; and
• Robert Wilson, 48, Clatskanie, OR.

At OTW press time, an update from the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers Union confirmed that workers at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Longview facility have been told not to report to work due to the tragedy’s “operational impacts” but will continue to receive full pay through at least Aug. 8, 2026. Investigations launched by state and local officials, fire departments, and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board will continue to try and determine the cause of the tank failure.

According to Kaelyn Cassidy of The Astorian newspaper, authorities have repeatedly assured community members that drinking water in both Longview and Rainier, WA—which lies across the Columbia River via the Lewis and Clark Bridge—remained safe to use. The EPA also began 24-hour air quality monitoring in the area following the incident and did not detect any negative impacts to the air as a result of the spill.

The June 2 report from Washington State’s Department of Ecology confirms that cleanup operations continue at the facility. Vacuum trucks with pumps that are removing waste and liquid will remain on-site “for the foreseeable future.” This site provides updates daily.

Note from TAPPI:
We are profoundly saddened by the accident at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company mill in Longview, WA, which occurred last Tuesday. Our TAPPI community extends our deepest condolences for the lives lost, those injured, the families grieving, and the coworkers and friends whose lives have been forever changed by this tragedy.