Washington State Chemical Tank Failure
Jeray Key, manager of the Country Folks Deli in Longview, Wash., right, and Gayle Leavitt, a server at the restaurant, pose for a photo on May 27, 2026.
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A chemical tank failure at a paper mill in Washington state this past week has struck at the heart of a historic mill town. Longview was founded by a timber baron about a century ago, and generations of families have worked in local mills. On Tuesday morning a tank containing more than 500,000 gallons of a highly destructive chemical mixture used in paper manufacturing collapsed. It is one of the deadliest U.S. workplace accidents in recent decades, killing 11 people. Many Longview residents who spoke with The Associated Press had family or friends who currently or previously worked at the plant.
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