Story perspectives

80,000-Gallon Chemical Tank Explodes, One Dead, Several Injured

5/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

An 80,000-gallon tank of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide solution exploded in Longview, Washington, killing one worker and injuring several.
Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Department, Longview Fire Department and PeaceHealth St John Medical Center moved nine workers and one firefighter to hospitals, where six patients were in fair condition and one died.
Officials in Southern California kept overseeing an overheating methyl methacrylate tank at GKN Aerospace while the Longview explosion unfolded.

History

Historical Context

On 10 July 1976 the ICMESA plant near Seveso, Italy released several kilograms of the dioxin TCDD, exposing tens of thousands of residents and prompting the European Community to adopt the 1982 Seveso Directive on hazardous-site safety. The 2024 explosion of a sodium-hydroxide tank in Longview, Washington revived those safety concerns, underscoring the lasting impact of the Seveso precedent.

1 of 2

Story summary

An 80,000-gallon tank of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide solution exploded in Longview, Washington, killing one worker and injuring several.
Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Department, Longview Fire Department and PeaceHealth St John Medical Center moved nine workers and one firefighter to hospitals, where six patients were in fair condition and one died.
Officials in Southern California kept overseeing an overheating methyl methacrylate tank at GKN Aerospace while the Longview explosion unfolded.

1 / 2