At least 1 dead, 9 missing after chemical tank implosion in Washington

At least one person was killed and nine workers were unaccounted for following the implosion of a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill in southern Washington state on Tuesday, local authorities said. 

The tank’s rupture at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility in Longview, a city located along the southern Washington border with Oregon, injured eight employees and one firefighter, the Longview Fire Department said. The department didn’t say whether the person who was killed was a worker.

Officials said the families of all nine employees who remain unaccounted for have been notified.

A spokesperson for PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview confirmed to CBS News that the hospital received nine patients from the incident, one of whom was deceased. Four others have been transferred to the Legacy Oregon Burn Center in Portland, Oregon, PeaceHealth said. Legacy Health confirmed to CBS News in a statement it was treating patients from the incident, but it was not clear if there were any others beyond the four who had been transferred from the PeaceHealth facility.

Authorities said some victims had suffered burns or inhalation injuries, and that the severity of the injuries ranged from minor to critical.

Authorities said there was no immediate threat to the public, but the tank’s unstable condition is “creating hazardous conditions for emergency personnel.”

The Longview Fire Department said a tank containing white liquor had ruptured. White liquor is a chemical commonly used in paper and pulp processing which consists of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide.

Cowlitz Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein previously said the 80,000-gallon tank that imploded was about 60% full, but authorities later reported the tank held approximately 900,000 gallons of white liquor. Local authorities now estimate roughly 90,000 gallons of material may remain inside the damaged tank.

It was too early to determine the cause of the implosion, Goldstein said. 

“We’re dealing with life safety concerns and incident stabilization at this point,” he said.

The Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility is a pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant that makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates, cartons and other goods. It employs about 1,000 people, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.

About 40 firefighters and paramedics had responded, along with a regional hazmat team, Gorsuch said. The incident was reported at 7:19 a.m. local time.

Nippon Dynawave did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, thousands of Southern California residents remained evacuated on Tuesday due to a damaged chemical tank at an aerospace plant.