Mike Gorsuch says all-day response after Longview Wa tank implosion
Multiple people were injured Tuesday morning when a large supply tank imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company plant in longview wa. The Longview Fire Department said the injured people were taken by ambulance to two medical centers as regional hazardous materials crews responded at the site.
The fire department said multiple people suffered chemical burns and other injuries, and firefighters told people to stay away from the plant on Industrial Way. Longview Fire Chief Mike Gorsuch said there were no threats to the city or surrounding areas.
Industrial Way Response
Gorsuch said, “This could probably be an all-day process for us.” The plant sits in a large industrial area in Longview, and about 550 people work there.
The fire department posted that “The extent of the injuries is not fully known at this time.” It also said, “Multiple people suffered chemical burns and other injuries and were transported by ambulance to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.”
Nippon Dynawave Plant
According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, the mill makes about 280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard and wetlap and slush pulp each year. That scale explains why crews treated the implosion as a broader industrial response, not a short scene-clearance call.
Regional hazardous materials crews remained on scene after the implosion, and firefighters urged the public to avoid the area while they worked. For workers and nearby businesses, the immediate concern is not traffic or utility interruption but the cleanup and medical response around a tank failure that sent injured people to two hospitals at once.
Mike Gorsuch
Gorsuch’s warning that the operation would likely take all day leaves the site under active response for now. The practical next step is the continued hazardous materials work at the plant on Industrial Way, where the injuries have already moved from the mill floor to emergency rooms in Longview and Vancouver.
