Large Emergency Response Underway as Major Chemical Rupture Rocks Washington Plant
At least nine people were injured and an unknown number were killed Tuesday when a chemical tank ruptured in Washington state.
The incident began about about 7:15 a.m. (10:15 Eastern time) in Longview, in southwestern Washington’s Cowlitz County, according to ABC News.
Injuries — including chemical burns — ranged from minor to critical, a Cowlitz County fire official said. An unknown number of individuals remain missing.
BREAKING UPDATE | Fatalities have been confirmed, as well as multiple critical injuries. https://t.co/XA7cPxZD3Y
— KOMO News (@komonews) May 26, 2026
KOMO-TV in Seattle reported that officials said there was no immediate danger to the public, but that residents were being asked to avoid the area while emergency responders do their work.
The station identified the plant as Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging facility.
It involved an 80,000-gallon tank holding a substance known as “white liquor,” and used in manufacturing paper.
The plant is on the Washington state side of the Columbia River, which forms the border between Washington and Oregon. It employs about 1,000 workers, according to ABC, but it was unclear how many were on the property at the time of the rupture.
At least some of those injured were taken to Portland, Oregon, medical facilities.
At a news briefing, according to KOMO, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein said the cause of the rupture was unknown, but that rescue crews had more pressing matters to deal with.
“We’re dealing with life safety concerns and incident stabilization at this point,” he said, the station reported. “That will come in the hours and days to come.”
The fire chief said there are many people still missing, but did not specify a number. There are also various levels of injuries, and the number of fatalities is not being released at this time by Longview authorities. Officials are still investigating how the tank ruptured. https://t.co/qKL1Qu7Y2O
— KATU News (@KATUNews) May 26, 2026
An unknown number of potential victims were missing, Goldstein said at the news briefing.
The wording used to describe the event changed as the day went on. According to ABC, officials “initially referred to the incident as a chemical explosion and then an implosion, before referring to it as a rupture.”
Regardless of the wording, Longview Fire Battalion Chief Mike Gorsuch called the situation a “mass casualty scene,” according to CBS News.
“The incident is stable, but is in the recovery phase,” he said, according to ABC.
“Recovery efforts remain underway at the facility.”
More specific information about injuries and deaths is being withheld pending notification of families, KOMO reported.
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