Longview tank implosion: Here’s what we know

LONGVIEW, Wash. — A deadly tank implosion at a paper mill on May 26 has left the Longview community in mourning, as crews are still working to recover all of the victims.

The industrial accident happened around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday during a shift change at the Nippon Dynawave mill, according to Scott Goldstein, fire chief for Cowlitz Fire and Rescue. The implosion damaged administrative offices, a break room, and operational areas inside the facility.

Nine people are confirmed dead and two people remain missing.

Here is what we know so far about the industrial incident, the victims and the investigation underway. 

Officials initially believed the tank contained about 900,000 gallons of white liquor, a highly corrosive substance used in the paper-making process, but later revised that estimate to roughly 600,000 gallons. Authorities also reduced the estimated remaining volume in the tank from 90,000 gallons to about 25,000 gallons.

Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig said he met with families earlier in the day to provide updates on recovery efforts, emphasizing both the scale of the loss and the ongoing support from the community.

“I want to acknowledge the tremendous impact that this has had and continues to be on the victims’ families, co-workers, responders, and the community at large. I also want to say thank you for the outpouring of support that we’ve received, our responders have received from the community as we continue to navigate this incident,” Hannig said.

Family members are identifying some of the employees killed in Tuesday’s tank implosion.

KING 5 has confirmed the identities of five victims: Jared Ammons, Gilbert Bernal, Braydon Finkas, John Forsberg and Dale Miller.

Click here to read about each of the known victims.

Federal on-scene coordinator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Brooks Stanfield, said multiple agencies are working together at the site as recovery continues inside the area of greatest impact.

“As the firefighters have been conducting their operation, we’ve been working to take every measure we can to ensure that public health and the environment are protected throughout this process,” Stanfield said.

Stanfield said the EPA is also focused on public health protection through continuous air monitoring, which has shown no detections of harmful gases so far. He said monitoring will continue until officials are confident there is no ongoing risk of releases from the facility.

Water conditions in the community’s ditch system are improving as flushing operations continue, though some isolated areas still require targeted work.

“We have started to see marked improvement in the pH levels in the ditch, the ditch system, most specifically in the ditch here, right above the well fields, which was a priority focus area for us,” Stanfield said.

Courtney Serad, on-site coordinator for the Washington Department of Ecology, said there are currently no fish advisories or recreational restrictions in place for the Columbia River.

Longview Public Works Director Chris Collins said the city’s drinking water remains safe and there is no threat to public health from the water system.

He also urged the public to stay out of ditch areas due to elevated pH levels and to keep pets and animals away from the water. He said Lake Sacagawea will be gradually drawn down over the coming week to support ongoing flushing efforts.

A local business, Shamrock Bar and Grill in Longview, is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, June 7.

Shamrock is donating 20% of gross sales to victims’ families.

“I can’t bring them back, but I can give them something,” said co-owner Linsay Mayeda-Rodman. “When something happens, Longview and Kelso come together to do what needs to be done to take care of our own…. Here at Shamrock, we consider our customers our family.”

All dine-in and bar customers must be 21 and older; to-go orders are available for all ages. The fundraiser will be held from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.