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Longview mill families allege ignored tank warnings before blast that killed 11
Families of two workers killed in the May implosion at Nippon Dynawave Packaging are suing the company, alleging inspections warned that a chemical tank was at risk of failure. A federal safety investigation found the tank unfit for continued service about 10 months before it released roughly 900,000 gallons of chemical solution.
LONGVIEW, Wash. — The families of Dillon Miller and Clinton “CJ” Doran have sued Nippon Dynawave Packaging, alleging the company failed to address inspection warnings about a chemical tank before it imploded at the Longview paper mill and killed 11 workers.
The lawsuit seeks damages to be determined at trial. Nippon Dynawave Packaging had not commented on the case, according to information available when the suit was reported.
The claims follow an investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Its report said the tank, known as G Tank, had been found unfit for continued service about 10 months before the May 26, 2026, failure because of significant thinning. Without repairs, the board said, the likelihood and consequences of failure were high.
The families’ lawsuit also alleges that another tank feeding into G Tank was taken out of service for repairs on the morning of the implosion.
The safety board’s account describes a sequence of events that began with a process upset in the mill’s digestor at about 1:55 a.m. May 26. The digestor, which helps turn wood chips into pulp, was taken offline for repairs. Workers reduced and then stopped the flow of white liquor into it, but the mill continued producing the chemical upstream. G Tank rose to about 90% capacity by 6:22 a.m.
At about 7:09 a.m., the tank failed, releasing an estimated 900,000 gallons of white liquor. The board said the liquid surged across the courtyard and toward buildings. Seventeen employees were on the ground level at the time; 11 died and others were injured.
The investigation remains ongoing. Mill employees returned to work earlier in October, about five months after the disaster. Workers are to continue receiving pay through Jan. 17, 2027, even if their departments cannot resume operations.