In February 2008, the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, experienced a massive dust explosion event that resulted in 14 fatalities and 36 serious injuries. The plant experienced damage that resulted in an insurance claim of US$345.
It appears that the initial explosion occurred as a result of an overheated bearing in a belt conveyor that had been recently enclosed underneath the sugar silos. This initial explosion lifted sugar that had been deposited in layers on a range of horizontal surfaces, resulting in a propagation of secondary explosions extending through the plant.
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