A mill town in mourning: Nippon Dynawave cleanup and questions continue

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LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON — Travelers near Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.’s pulp and paper mill in Longview can smell freshly cut wood from the multiple nearby businesses that produce lumber, paper and packaging. Absent is the recognizable odor emitted during wood pulping, due to the mill's nearly complete shutdown since a deadly white liquor tank implosion there.

The May 26 implosion is being called one of the deadliest U.S. workplace incidents in decades. NDP's Japan-based parent company Nippon Paper confirmed in a statement Sunday that 11 people died and eight more were injured.

The Washington National Guard is among the local, state and federal crews assisting at the NDP facility, which has largely ceased operations.

NDP largely ceased operations at the paper mill following the implosion, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The Washington Department of Ecology, the Washington National Guard and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board are among the local, state and federal groups on site to assist with cleanup and investigations into the disaster.