• Friends identify another victim in Longview chemical tank failure: 'One of the most selfless individuals you’ll ever meet'
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    Friends identify another victim in Longview chemical tank failure: ‘One of the most selfless individuals you’ll ever meet’

    May 29, 2026 - By 

    Braydon Finkas was identified as one of the original nine people missing at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company after the deadly chemical tank rupture Tuesday. LONGVIEW, Wash. — As the days go by, the names of more victims of Tuesday’s deadly chemical tank rupture continue to circulate on social media, along with more fundraisers to try and help those victims’ families in the only way many know how. One of those victims has been identified by friends as 37-year-old Braydon Finkas. Javier Sanchez was friends with Finkas, who lived in Cathlamet. On Thursday, Sanchez described Finkas as “one of the…

  • Video shows devastation, crushed cars after deadly chemical tank implosion at Washington paper mill
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    Video shows devastation, crushed cars after deadly chemical tank implosion at Washington paper mill

    May 28, 2026 - By 

    New video shows the sheer amount of devastation after a tank holding corrosive white liquor imploded at a paper mill in Longview, Washington. WASHINGTON — New video is showing the aftermath of a deadly implosion at a Washington state paper mill that is presumed to have killed 11 people and injured another eight. Crews resumed the search Wednesday for nine workers at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, although authorities have already said there is no hope of finding survivors. If the 11 deaths are confirmed, it would be one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the U.S. in…

  • Family seeks answers after dad's death in Nippon Dynawave facility chemical tank rupture
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    Family seeks answers after dad’s death in Nippon Dynawave facility chemical tank rupture

    May 28, 2026 - By 

    The Longview community is still reeling after the deadly incident at the paper mill Tuesday, including Gilbert Bernal’s family. LONGVIEW, Wash. — The family of Gilbert Bernal is mourning their father, grandfather and husband, who died following the deadly chemical tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave facility early Tuesday morning. His son, Eli, recalls how the family learned of the news: “My mom got a call from somebody advising her that they had somebody, potentially that could be my father.” This story continues below. Eli said he was too afraid to call his father’s phone, in fear…

  • What is white liquor, the caustic chemical involved in the Longview paper mill disaster?
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    What is white liquor, the caustic chemical involved in the Longview paper mill disaster?

    May 28, 2026 - By 

    The process of paper making involves several chemicals that can cause serious injuries if a person is exposed to them. LONGVIEW, Wash. — White liquor, a superheated chemical mixture used to break down wood into paper pulp, is at the center of the deadly tank implosion at the Nippon Dynawave paper mill in Longview. The facility employs a common process for making paper known as kraft milling. In kraft milling, wood chips are processed under high pressure and heat (anywhere from 300 to 330 degrees Fahrenheit) while being exposed to extremely caustic chemicals that cause the wood to break down…

  • U.S. Chemical Safety Board to investigate fatal tank implosion at Longview paper mill
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    U.S. Chemical Safety Board to investigate fatal tank implosion at Longview paper mill

    May 27, 2026 - By 

    The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said a team of investigators would arrive at the paper mill Wednesday. The implosion involved white liquor, a highly corrosive chemical used in paper and pulp processing to dissolve wood chips into pulp. Officials said a 900,000-gallon tank storing the substance ruptured with 90,000 gallons of the chemical still inside. Previously, officials said the tank held only 80,000 gallons. This story continues below. “The CSB is opening an investigation into this tragic incident to determine how it happened and what can be done to prevent something like this from…

  • Nippon Dynawave: What to know about the Longview facility at the center of Tuesday's chemical implosion
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    Nippon Dynawave: What to know about the Longview facility at the center of Tuesday’s chemical implosion

    May 27, 2026 - By 

    Multiple deaths reported in an implosion at the Nippon Dynawave facility in Longview, which manufactures paper and packaging products. LONGVIEW, Wash. — A chemical tank implosion at the Nippon Dynawave facility in Longview caused multiple deaths and injuries Tuesday morning. A liquid supply tank of hazardous “chemical treatment product” ruptured around 7:18 a.m., burning multiple people and exposing others to harmful chemicals. Around 11:20 a.m., officials confirmed multiple fatalities along with critical injuries related to the incident. This story continues below. RELATED: Multiple people killed in chemical tank rupture at Nippon Dynawave pulp and paper mill in…

  • California chemical tank threat not over yet for 16,000 people still under evacuation orders
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    California chemical tank threat not over yet for 16,000 people still under evacuation orders

    May 27, 2026 - By 

    Exposure to methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable chemical used to make plastics, can cause serious respiratory and neurological problems. GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — About 16,000 people remain under evacuation orders in Southern California as an overheated chemical tank still poses a risk to homes closest to the site, and officials Tuesday gave no word on when they might be able to return home. The crisis forced 50,000 people to evacuate in and around the Orange County city of Garden Grove last week. A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing…

  • Nippon Dynawave: What to know about the Longview facility at the center of Tuesday's chemical implosion
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    Nippon Dynawave: What to know about the Longview facility at the center of Tuesday’s chemical implosion

    May 27, 2026 - By 

    Multiple deaths reported in an implosion at the Nippon Dynawave facility in Longview, which manufactures paper and packaging products. LONGVIEW, Wash. — A chemical tank implosion at the Nippon Dynawave facility in Longview caused multiple deaths and injuries Tuesday morning. A liquid supply tank of hazardous “chemical treatment product” ruptured around 7:18 a.m., burning multiple people and exposing others to harmful chemicals. Around 11:20 a.m., officials confirmed multiple fatalities along with critical injuries related to the incident. RELATED: Multiple people killed in chemical tank rupture at Nippon Dynawave pulp and paper mill in Longview The Nippon Dynawave facility houses a…

  • Multiple injuries reported after chemical explosion at Longview Nippon facility
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    Multiple injuries reported after chemical explosion at Longview Nippon facility

    May 26, 2026 - By 

    Residents are being asked to avoid Industrial Way as emergency crews respond to an explosion at the Nippon facility. LONGVIEW, Wash. — Multiple injuries were reported after a chemical explosion Tuesday at the Nippon facility in Longview, according to the Longview Fire Department. The explosion was reported around 7:30 a.m., prompting a major emergency response from fire crews. Residents are asked to stay away from Industrial Way and avoid the surrounding area while crews work at the facility. The response continues to be active, and officials said more information would be released as it became available. This is a breaking…

  • Threat of catastrophic explosion from damaged chemical tank in California is gone, officials say
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    Threat of catastrophic explosion from damaged chemical tank in California is gone, officials say

    May 25, 2026 - By 

    No injuries have been reported, but more than 50,000 residents were under an evacuation order over the Memorial Day weekend. GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — The risk of a catastrophic explosion of a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has been eliminated following a close overnight inspection that confirmed a crack in the tank relieved pressure and cooled the chemical, authorities said Monday. Officials said crews conducted tank temperature checks at night to reduce risks to firefighters, avoiding daytime operations when heat from the tank made conditions around it most dangerous. The overnight mission allowed crews to verify the crack and…