Eleven people were killed in May when a tank of white liquor imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill in Longview, Washington state. The incident, which occurred at approximately 7:18 am as workers changed shifts, is considered one of Washington state's deadliest industrial accidents in nearly a century.
The explosion's impact was deeply felt in Longview, a city of around 38,000 people with strong ties to the paper industry. Republican state senator Jeff Wilson, who previously worked at the mill, recalled brothers Tyler and Brad Covington, aged 27 and 29, who "went to work together. And then they died together."
The disaster has also influenced local politics. Democratic congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez worked with Wilson's office in the aftermath of the tragedy. She is now facing a re-election challenge in November, with the mill disaster and its community impact likely to be a factor at the ballot box.