Hit by Repeated Toxic Chemical Explosions, Government on Emergency Alert | OneNews Update

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:01][music] [music] >> A chemical tank exploded and ruptured at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Washington state, US on Tuesday, May 26.

[00:00:30]Leaving one person dead and nine injured while another nine remain missing as of Tuesday night, authorities say.

[00:00:43]>> [music] [music] >> Drone footage showed the extent of the damage revealing a collapsed chemical [music] tank and several damaged and overturned vehicles following the explosion.

[00:01:05]>> [music] >> A joint written statement from Nippon and the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Department say the tank containing white liquor, a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in paper pulp manufacturing, ruptured at approximately 7:50 a.m. local time. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Although the tank was initially estimated to contain around 80,000 gallons, official later said it held nearly 900,000 gallons of white liquor.

[00:01:55]With an estimated 90,000 gallons of materials still remaining inside the damaged tank.

[00:02:03]>> [music] [music] >> Recovery efforts will continue on Wednesday, May 27th at the site in the city of Long Beach in Orange County, about 45 miles north of Portland, Oregon.

[00:02:27]As the tank remains unstable, Long Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Ammons said during a press conference.

[00:02:40]>> [music] [music] >> Earlier, officials also ordered tens of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes in the Los Angeles suburb of Garden Grove on Friday, May 22nd due to a damaged chemical tank that was at risk of leaking or exploding, potentially releasing toxic fumes into the air, emergency responders say.

[00:03:23]>> [music] [music] >> Firefighters sprayed the tank with water using mechanical equipment designed to maintain a safe distance from personnel, [music] stabilizing the temperature and buying us time.

[00:03:41]Reported Craig Covey, Division Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority in a video posted on social media. The damaged tank contained methyl methacrylate leak, you dig?

[00:03:53]>> [music] >> The damaged tank contained methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable and volatile chemical used in plastic manufacturing and aerospace production, according to the Orange County Register.

[00:04:17]>> [music] [music] >> The situation which began on Thursday, May 21, occurred in Garden Grove, a city with approximately 172,000 residents located about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.

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