This is a developing story, and will be updated.
FILE - Emergency crews are responding to a chemical explosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company plant in Longview, Wash., seen in the is file photo from March 2024. The company manufactures liquid packaging board.
Jenny Kane / AP
Multiple people were injured in a major chemical tank implosion at a Southwest Washington paper mill Tuesday morning, according to the Longview Fire Department.
There are no threats to the city or surrounding areas, Battalion Chief Mike Gorsuch said.
“Multiple people suffered chemical burns and other injuries and were transported by ambulance to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver,” the fire department posted on Facebook. “The extent of the injuries is not fully known at this time.”
Firefighters are asking people to stay away from the site of the implosion, Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company on Industrial Way.
Regional hazardous materials crews are on the scene after the large supply tank at the mill imploded, Gorsuch said. “This could probably be an all-day process for us.”
About 550 people work at the Nippon paper mill, which is in a large industrial area in Longview. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, the mill makes about 280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard and wetlap and slush pulp each year.
