Washington Paper Mill Blast Kills 11 Employees Including Gilbert Bernal, Robert Wilson and Others

 The Longview, Washington community and surrounding region are mourning the devastating loss of 11 workers who died in a catastrophic explosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill, a tragedy now considered one of the deadliest industrial accidents in recent U.S. history. The identification of the victims has brought painful clarity to families who had been waiting through days of uncertainty, hoping for a different outcome that never came.

According to officials, the disaster occurred when a chemical tank containing “white liquor,” a highly caustic substance used in the paper pulping process, failed and ruptured inside the mill’s processing area. The failure triggered a massive explosion that released an estimated hundreds of thousands of gallons of corrosive material and caused severe structural damage throughout part of the facility, leaving conditions extremely hazardous for emergency crews.

The explosion initially left workers unaccounted for, launching a large-scale search and recovery operation that stretched over several days. Recovery teams worked cautiously through unstable debris and hazardous chemical exposure risks, pausing repeatedly to ensure safety as engineers assessed structural integrity and hazmat specialists decontaminated affected areas before any remains could be recovered.

Cowlitz County Coroner Dana Tucker later confirmed the identification of all 11 workers who lost their lives in the incident. The victims included employees from across Washington and Oregon, many of whom were long-term workers at the mill and deeply connected to their communities. Their names now represent a profound loss felt not only within their families but across the region where they lived and worked.

Those who died included Gilbert Bernal, 52, of Kelso; Tyler Covington, 29, and Brad Covington, 27, of Castle Rock; Robert Wilson, 48, of Clatskanie; Dale Miller, 54, of Portland; Jared Ammons, 35, of Longview; Braydon Finkas, 38, of Cathlamet; Clinton Doran, 26, of Kelso; John Forsberg, 51, of Longview; Norman Barlow, 58, of Vancouver; and Dillon Miller, whose loss has also been deeply felt among coworkers and friends. Each name represents a life built around family, work, and community ties now left in grief.

Officials have described the explosion as a major industrial catastrophe, with Washington state leaders calling it the deadliest workplace tragedy in modern state history. Gov. Bob Ferguson and other authorities have pledged full support for affected families and a comprehensive investigation into what caused the tank failure that led to the deadly chain of events inside the mill.

Federal and state agencies, including workplace safety regulators and environmental authorities, are now examining whether corrosion, maintenance issues, or structural design flaws may have contributed to the failure. The investigation is expected to take time as experts analyze equipment conditions, safety protocols, and operational records tied to the facility.

As the investigation continues, the Nippon Dynawave mill remains shut down indefinitely, while families begin the painful process of planning funerals and honoring the memories of those lost. Across Longview and neighboring communities, residents are coming together in grief, remembering the workers not only for the tragedy that took them, but for the lives they lived, the families they supported, and the lasting impact they leave behind.