Washington chemical tank was called unfit for service before deadly failure, investigators find
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board's update about the May 26 failure in Longview, which expelled enough caustic liquid to blow out building walls, is part of an ongoing investigation. The federal agency said it is still determining the cause of the failure.
An inspection contractor determined a chemical tank at a Washington state paper mill was "not fit for continued service" ten months prior to its catastrophic failure in May, resulting in 11 fatalities and marking one of the deadliest workplace disasters in recent U.S. history, according to a federal report published Friday.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board's investigation found that the contractor had previously advised Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company to conduct internal inspections and repair the tank's shell, but the company failed to address these recommendations between a July 2025 inspection and the May 2026 incident.
During the July 2025 inspection, the contractor identified "significant thinning" below the minimum safe thickness in the tank's lower regions, indicating the tank's inability to contain pressure and support its weight. Inspections in October 2025 and February 2026 also revealed that "large portions of the tank remained thinner than the calculated minimum safe wall thickness."
Despite these findings, the company continued to operate the tank without removing it from service or reducing its service. The tank's failure released approximately 900,000 gallons of white liquor, a highly corrosive liquid used in paper production that can cause severe burns. The blast caused extensive damage to surrounding buildings and structures, killing eight workers and injuring several others and a firefighter.
Written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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