Yourlawyer.com (Imperial Sugar Plant Explosion News)

Imperial Sugar Co. Plant Explosion Investigation Begins

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

The fatal Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion was not the first-such incident at the Port Wentworth, Georgia refinery this year. According to investigators who arrived at the plant this week, just a few weeks prior to the massive Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion, a smaller blast occurred when dust became trapped in a piece of safety equipment. No injuries or damage where caused by that small blast, however, nine people where killed and dozens where injured – some critically—by the larger February 7 explosion.

The Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion occurred at 7:00 p.m. in a silo where refined sugar was stored before being packaged. Speculation about the cause of the Imperial Sugar Co. explosion has centered on a “sugar dust explosion”. Plants where a lot of sugar dust is present are classified by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as “hazardous locations,” the same classification as coal preparation plants and producers of plastics, medicines and fireworks, according to the OSHA Web site. When sugar dust is aerosolized, it can get ionically charged and ignite from just a bit of static electricity. Witnesses in neighboring towns and across the Savannah River in South Carolina reported seeing flames shoot up several stories and hearing the blast.

It took fire crews a week to extinguish the fire sparked by the Imperial Sugar plant explosion. Mounds of sugary sludge that poured out of two silos had solidified in places, making a sticky, concrete-like mixture that had to be cut with power tools. According to Port Wentworth emergency officials, the fire spread deeper into the sugar silos than first imagined, complicating efforts to put it out. It was initially thought that only the first 3 or 4 feet of sugar in the silo was on fire, but thermal imaging cameras were used to determine that the fire reaches down as deep as 10 or 12 feet.

Sixteen people remain hospitalized in critical or serious condition with severe burns as a result of the Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion. Four victims of the Imperial Sugar Co. blast where buried on Saturday, and the remaining dead are expected to be laid to rest this week.

Investigators with the US Chemical Safety Board are on the scene of the Imperial Sugar Co. refinery explosion in Port Wentworth. They're still early into the investigation and they said finding the ignition source that started the explosion may be "impossible." U.S. Chemical Safety Board Investigations Manager Stephen Selk said earlier this week that investigators are looking into reports that some safety equipment failed a few before the large blast and set off a smaller explosion. Selk said it was too early to tell if that incident had anything to do with the larger explosion.

Meanwhile about 50 employees returned to work at the Imperial Sugar Co. plant today to help with clean up and the investigation. The employees have been broken up into three groups, one team is checking out the equipment and extent of the damage, a second team is working with engineers and the Chemical Safety Board as they tour the facility, and the third group is removing finished sugar in the warehouse which the US Department of Agriculture approved and packing it up to ship out.

Imperial Sugar Co. Plant Explosion Death Toll Stands at 8

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

The number of Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion fatalities rose to 8 today, following the death of an injured worker at burn center in Augusta, Georgia. Seven other people have been found dead in the rubble at the plant following the Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion, and one worker was still missing. Emergency crews had recovered the body of another missing Imperial Sugar Co. worker yesterday.

The Imperial sugar plant explosion occurred at 7:00 p.m. last Thursday in a silo where refined sugar is stored before being packaged. According to news reports, the Imperial Sugar Co. explosion was the result of a “sugar dust explosion”. Plants where a lot of sugar dust is present are classified by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as “hazardous locations,” the same classification as coal preparation plants and producers of plastics, medicines and fireworks, according to the OSHA Web site. When sugar dust is aerosolized, it can get ionically charged and ignite from just a bit of static electricity. Witnesses in neighboring towns and across the Savannah River in South Carolina reported seeing flames shoot up several stories and hearing the blast.

Fourteen other people burned during the explosion a week ago at the Imperial Sugar Company plant in Port Wentworth remain hospitalized in critical condition. Two others are in serious condition.

Fire crews are still having problems extinguishing the fire sparked by the Imperial Sugar plant explosion. Mounds of sugary sludge that poured out of two silos had solidified in places, making a sticky, concrete-like mixture that had to be cut with power tools. According to Port Wentworth emergency officials, the fire spread deeper into the sugar silos than first imagined, complicating efforts to put it out. It was initially thought that only the first 3 or 4 feet of sugar in the silo was on fire, but thermal imaging cameras were used to determine that the fire reaches down as deep as 10 or 12 feet. One major concern is that the silos could collapse, an event that would make the plant unsearchable.

Fire crews had had to call in a specialized team with powerful equipment to assault the silo fires, where the thick masses of molten sugar were still smoldering even after a helicopter dumped thousands of gallons of water.

Imperial Sugar Co. Plant Still Burns, Workers Still Missing

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

The fire from the Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion in Port Wentworth, Georgia, continued to burn today, five days after an explosion at the plant injured scores of workers and killed at least six. Two Imperial Sugar Co. workers are still unaccounted for, and the company is bringing in a fire suppression team to fight the fire in the plant’s sugar silos.

Imperial Sugar Co. is the manufacturer of Imperial, Holly and Dixie brand sweeteners. According to the company, the explosion occurred at 7:00 p.m. last Thursday in a silo where refined sugar is stored before being packaged. According to news reports, the Imperial Sugar Co. explosion was the result of a “sugar dust explosion”. Plants where a lot of sugar dust is present are classified by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as "hazardous locations," the same classification as coal preparation plants and producers of plastics, medicines and fireworks, according to the OSHA Web site. When sugar dust is aerosolized, it can get ionically charged and ignite from just a bit of static electricity. Witnesses in neighboring towns and across the Savannah River in South Carolina reported seeing flames shoot up several stories and hearing the blast.

The search for the two missing Imperial Sugar Co. workers has been impeded by the continuing fire, as well as the wreckage from the explosion. Mounds of sugary sludge that poured out of two silos had solidified in places, making a sticky, concrete-like mixture that had to be cut with power tools. According to Port Wentworth emergency officials, the fire spread deeper into the sugar silos than first imagined, complicating efforts to put it out. It was initially thought that only the first 3 or 4 feet of sugar in the silo was on fire, but thermal imaging cameras were used to determine that the fire reaches down as deep as 10 or 12 feet. One major concern is that the silos could collapse, an event that would make the plant unsearchable.

According to the Associated Press, seventeen Imperial Sugar Co. workers remained hospitalized Monday, including 16 in critical condition with severe burns. The remains of some of the workers killed in the Imperial Sugar Co. explosion have not yet been identified, and dental records will be needed to make those identifications.

Imperial Sugar Co. – the major employer in Port Wentworth – has promised to rebuild the plant. The company has also promised to pay workers while the repairs take place.

Sugar Plant Explosion Lawsuit Lawyer Attorney

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Imperial Sugar Co. Plant Explosion

Keywords: Lawsuit | Explosion | Imperial | Sugar | Lawyer / Attorney

The Imperial Sugar Co. plant in Port Wentworth, Georgia exploded on February 7, 2008. The impact of the Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion was felt by people living in South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, and flames from the plant could be seen for miles. The morning after the Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion, 62 people where reported injured and another six where missing. The Imperial Sugar Co. plant is the largest employer in Port Wentworth, and their where about 100 workers at the facility at the time of the blast.

The Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion occurred at 7:00 p.m. in a silo used to store refined sugar prior to packaging. According to news reports, the Imperial Sugar Co. explosion was the result of a “sugar dust explosion”. When sugar dust is aerosolized, it can get ionically charged and ignite from just a bit of static electricity. Plants where a lot of sugar dust is present are classified by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as "hazardous locations," the same classification as coal preparation plants and producers of plastics, medicines and fireworks, according to the OSHA Web site.

According to news reports, ambulances and emergency workers from 12 counties in Georgia and South Carolina had been called in to assist at the scene. Emergency personnel spent the first hour following the Imperial Sugar Co. explosion pulling people out of the building and struggled to stop the spread of the fire. Efforts to control the blaze started by the Imperial Sugar Company Plant Explosion where hampered by water pressure problems. Tugboats from the nearby Savannah River where called in and turned water cannons onto the blaze, and fire officials had to divert water from homes along I-95 in order to fight the fire.

Missing, Injured in Imperial Sugar Co. Plant Explosion

At least 62 people where injured in the Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion, while 6 others where reported missing. All of the injured where taken to area hospitals, where 40 were treated and released, while13 were admitted. Nine people with severe burns where taken to a burn center in Augusta Georgia.

By the next morning, the search for the six missing victims of the Imperial Sugar Co. plant explosion had turned into a recovery effort. The U.S. Coast Guard closed the Savannah River around the port and Coast Guard helicopters searched the river for anyone who might have been thrown into the water.

Legal Help for Victims of the Imperial Sugar Co. Plant Explosion

If you or a loved one where affected by the Imperial Sugar Co. Plant explosion, you have valuable legal rights. To discuss your case, please contact a qualified plant explosions injury attorney at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP by filling out our online form or by calling 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).