CBRN event in United States of America on Tue 26th May 2026

One person was killed, nine were injured and nine others remain missing after a major industrial incident Tuesday morning at a pulp and paper mill in this Southwest Washington city. The rupture of a chemical tank was reported around 7:20 a.m. at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview, according to the city’s Fire Department. Eight employees and a firefighter were injured; it’s unclear if the person who died was an employee. All nine of the people who remained unaccounted for late Tuesday work at the mill. The cause of the implosion was not clear Tuesday evening, as recovery efforts remained ongoing. Emergency crews were assessing the structural integrity of the damaged tank and working to stabilize it before recovery operations can safely proceed, said Chief Scott Goldstein of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue. Although he could not offer many specifics on further recovery efforts, Goldstein said there is a concern about additional leakage from the tanks because it is caustic. Joined by local emergency response officials, Gov. Bob Ferguson, Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and other state elected officials spoke in front of the facility. With disasters of this magnitude, “it’s difficult always to find the words in times like this,” said Ferguson at the evening news conference.