Blog Post

Georgia Sugar Plant had a Prior Explosion


February 19, 2008
Topic: Explosions and Fires

When the powerful blast shook the sprawling Imperial Sugar refinery in Savannah, Georgia, the impact was so great, rescue authorities went scurrying to the nearby river to look for victims. In the days following the turbulence and chaos, the death toll was pegged at 9 workers. The number of injured was at least 40 persons. Fourteen of those injured still remain in critical condition with severe burn injuries, while two other workers are also in a serious condition.

Now, a federal investigator has revealed that there was a smaller explosion at the refinery caused by an explosion of sugar dust a few days before the bigger explosion. Sugar dust is tiny particles of sugar powder that have a gunpowder like quality, and can ignite when confined in enclosed spaces. The earlier explosion, the NY Times reports, claimed no victims and no one was injured. The investigation into the blast was carried out by investigators from the US Chemical Safety Board, and investigating officers say it's too early to draw a relationship between that earlier incident and the latest deadly explosion.

There definitely seems to be a connection between the earlier incident and the more catastrophic explosion. Investigators are looking into the accumulation of sugar dust, and how the ignitable dust could have been allowed to accumulate in what were, very obviously, flammable conditions. The plant was connected by pipes and fans that were designed to minimize the risk of explosions by blowing all the sugar dust, and transferring it into special dust collector bins fixed on the roof. A spark in one of these bins was responsible for the earlier explosion, investigators say. A small piece of metal they believe, made its way through into the dust collector, and as soon as a spark was ignited from the metal, the sugar dust exploded. There were ventilation panels in the dust collector that minimized the impact of the explosion.

This dust extraction equipment could be responsible for the more recent explosion, which occurred in a basement where large conveyor belts were used to move sugar from storage silos to a packing area. Sugar dust was found accumulating below the basement.

How is it possible that sugar dust which is a known incendiary substance as powerful as gunpowder when a spark is lit in a enclosed space, was allowed to accumulate in a sugar refinery? How much dust could have accumulated to cause a blast so powerful it gutted 12 percent of the 872,000 square foot plant? Obviously the sugar dust wasn't all getting transferred to the bins on the roof. There is already evidence of sugar dust accumulation underneath the basement where the blast occurred. What was a combustible substance doing underneath a basement? Safety standards seem to have been not just lax, but outright non-existent in this case.

Don't negate the impact of clout in the investigations. Imperial Sugar is not your neighborhood sugar mill. It's the country's largest processor and refiner of sugar. The Texas-based company acquired Savannah Foods and Industries in 1997, and it markets some of the country's leading sugar and sweetener brands.

If you or a loved-one has been injured or killed in an explosion or fire, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.