All 11 victims identified in Washington paper mill chemical explosion, one of state's worst industrial disasters
LONGVIEW, Wash. — All 11 workers killed in the massive chemical explosion at a Washington paper mill have been identified, authorities said Thursday, as the community grapples with the aftermath of one of the worst industrial disasters in modern state history.
The blast erupted around 7:15 a.m. on May 26 at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, when a tank holding hundreds of thousands of gallons of white liquor — a caustic chemical used in paper production — ruptured without warning. The spill inundated parts of the facility and left a scene so unstable that it took days for emergency crews to safely search for and recover the final victims.
Initially, officials reported one death and nine injuries. But as the scale of the tragedy became clear, the death toll climbed. One of the injured later died, and nine employees were initially unaccounted for. The Cowlitz County Coroner's Office on Thursday released the names of all 11 victims: Gilbert Bernal, 52; Tyler Covington, 29; Bradley Covington, 27; Robert “Robb” Wilson, 48; Dale Miller, 54; Jared Ammons, 35; Braydon Finkas, 38; Clinton “CJ” Doran, 26; John Forsberg, 51; Norman Barlow, 58; and Dillon Miller, whose age was not provided.
Many of the victims were in an employee break room during a shift change when the explosion occurred, according to the Longview Fire Department. The force of the rupture and the subsequent chemical release made the area immediately inaccessible. Fire Chief Brad Hannig said at a news conference that recovering the last workers brought a measure of closure but acknowledged the long road ahead for families. “I hope today will give the families so affected by this incident the closure needed to begin the long process of healing,” he said.
The Nippon Dynawave plant, which employs hundreds of workers producing bleached paperboard for juice and milk cartons, has a history of workplace safety violations and previous fires, according to state and federal records. The company is cooperating with multiple investigations, including those by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.
Environmental officials said some of the spilled white liquor reached the Columbia River and nearby ditches and dikes, but they emphasized that community drinking water supplies were not impacted. Air monitoring found no evidence of airborne contamination, authorities said. Still, the spill required a large-scale containment effort, including diverting the chemical away from waterways and decontaminating the victims’ remains before they could be recovered.
The explosion has reignited concerns about industrial safety in the region and prompted calls for stricter oversight of facilities handling hazardous chemicals. For the small timber-and-manufacturing town of Longview — about 45 miles north of Portland, Oregon — the loss has been deeply personal. Residents gathered for vigils as the recovery effort stretched into its second week.
“This is not just a number. These are our neighbors, our friends, our family,” said a local union representative who asked not to be named. “We need answers, and we need to make sure it never happens again.”