- A chemical explosion occurred at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill in Longview, Washington, on Tuesday around 7:15 a.m. local time.
- The incident was caused by the rupture of a tank containing "white liquor," a chemical used in paper production, which was approximately 60 percent full of its 80,000-gallon capacity.
- Officials have confirmed multiple fatalities and multiple critical injuries, with nine workers and one firefighter initially transported to local hospitals; the firefighter has since been released.
- First responders, including a hazmat team, were on site, and authorities were still searching for unaccounted individuals as of Tuesday afternoon.
- While there is no immediate threat to the community, officials have asked the public to avoid the area as investigation and recovery efforts continue.
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