LONGVIEW, Wash. — Two families are suing after a chemical tank imploded at a Longview paper mill, killing 11 workers.
According to The Oregonian, the families of Dillon Miller and Clinton “CJ” Doran claim Nippon Dynawave Packaging failed to act on multiple inspections that showed the tank was at risk of failure.
The lawsuit comes about two months after the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released its report on the incident.
In the report, the board states the tank was found unfit for continued service about 10 months before the implosion – citing significant thinning.
Unless it was repaired, there was a “[h]igh likelihood/consequence of failure.”
They are seeking an amount of money to be determined at trial.
Nippon Dynawave Packaging has not yet released a comment on the lawsuits.
According to the families’ lawsuit, a separate tank, which Tank G emptied into, was removed from service for repairs the morning of the implosion.
Day of the incident: What happened?
On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at around 1:55 a.m., the mill’s digestor had an unexpected problem called a process upset. Operators had to take it offline so it could be repaired.
A digestor is a major piece of equipment used in the pulping process. Normally, white liquor is fed into the digestor to help break down wood chips into pulp.
According to the report, workers reduced the amount of white liquor being sent to the digestor and by 4:08 a.m. they completely shut off the flow.
While white liquor was no longer leaving G Tank, more white liquor was still being produced upstream, according to the report, which meant the tank rose to about 90% full by 6:22 a.m.
At approximately 7:09 a.m., the tank catastrophically failed, releasing approximately 900,000 gallons of white liquor.
At the time of the tank failure, the report states that 17 employees were present on the ground level:
- Seven maintenance employees and one foreman were in the mechanical maintenance shop
- Eight maintenance employees were in the electrical maintenance shop
- One operator was in the courtyard
According to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s report, most of the tank’s contents were released when it failed, creating a massive “wave” of white liquor that rapidly flooded into the courtyard and towards the buildings.
11 people ultimately died and a number of others were hurt.
The investigation into what happened is ongoing.
Workers at the Longview plant headed back to work earlier this month – five months after the tragedy.
Employees will continue to receive pay through January 17, 2027, even if their departments cannot resume operations.
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