Longview mill tragedy among worst workplace disasters in WA history

At least 11 workers are believe to have died in Tuesday’s catastrophic explosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. pulp mill.

The disaster struck shortly after 7 a.m. when a tank of highly corrosive white liquor collapsed, flooding the mill and releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals.

The mill has suspended normal operations and is running only critical systems with a skeleton crew. In Longview, a community closely tied to the timber and milling industry, residents are mourning what Gov. Bob Ferguson called the deadliest industrial accident in modern Washington history as investigators work to determine the cause.

Washington state’s deadliest workplace accidents

Before the Longview mill collapse, Washington’s worst industrial disasters were mainly concentrated in coal mines and refineries:

1892 Roslyn mine explosion: A blast at the Northern Pacific coal mine killed 45 miners, the deadliest coal mining disaster in Washington state history.

1894 Black Diamond mine fire: An underground fire at the Oregon Improvement Co. coal mine in King County killed 37 workers due to smoke inhalation and asphyxiation.

1895 Blue Canyon explosion: A coal mine blast triggered by explosive mine gases ripped through the Blue Canyon coal mine near Lake Whatcom, killing 23 miners.

1899 Carbonado mine blast: A gas explosion at Pierce County’s Wingate Hill coal mine killed 33 miners.

1909 Roslyn mine disaster: An explosion at the Northwestern Improvement Co. mine killed 10 workers. The blast occurred on a maintenance day, which spared the lives of hundreds of workers who would otherwise have been on duty.

1910 Stevens Pass avalanche: An avalanche swept away two trains, killing 61 Great Northern Railway employees and 35 passengers. It remains the deadliest disaster in Washington history.

1927 Carbonado mine inundation: Seven miners were killed when a sudden rush of mud, gravel and water flooded the tunnel.

1930 Carbonado Mine explosion: A gas and coal dust explosion at the Pacific Coast coal mine in Pierce County killed 17 workers.

1963 Moses Lake factory blast: Combustible sugar dust ignited at the Utah-Idaho Sugar Co. plant, killing seven workers.

1998 Anacortes refinery fire: Six workers died in a fire at the Equilon refinery.

2010 Anacortes refinery explosion: Seven workers were killed in an explosion at the Tesoro refinery in Skagit County.

Commercial fishing is also a hazardous occupation, and there have been significant fatalities on Washington-based fishing boats, although they have occurred outside state waters. Here are three of the deadliest:

In 1983, two Anacortes-based sister ships, the Americus and Altair, vanished in the Bering Sea, killing 14. It is believed they capsized due to improper loading of crab pots.

In 1990, a Seattle-based trawler, the Aleutian Enterprise, sank in the Bering Sea due to weight shifts, vessel instability and safety failures. The ship capsized, and nine crew members drowned. Twenty-two crew members were rescued by nearby fishing vessels.

In 2001, the Seattle-based Arctic Rose sank in the Bering Sea after water flooded the vessel, compromising its stability and causing it to roll. All 15 men on board were drowned.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 6:33 AM.