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We're back. What's up, Meg? Hey, how's it going? I don't know why I said that. I don't know. I liked it. Hello. You're pumped. Maybe you're jacked up on sugar. Maybe that's what's going on here. And you have not read this episode, right? I have not. And producer Zach was busy traveling in different states and doing stuff and things and had a little bit of a crazy, I guess, week. So I decided to write this one. But I'm super excited because I had a chat with

My dude the other day, Ben from the Wicked and Grim podcast, and he says, Hey, I have a topic. I have a little information for you. I feel like this would do fantastic for your podcast. So I ran with it. So make sure you guys check them out. The Wicked and Grim podcast. Super amazing. Just a duo husband and wife, kind of like we are, except for their true crime. And they're much better at it. They've been at it a long time and they are a top 1% podcast in the entire world. So I'm going to, I'm going to listen to some episodes with you about it. I think you'll.

truly enjoy it as well. So thanks again to them for that. And also check out the deluxe edition network and the podcast of the month. It's February everybody. So make sure you check out the podcast of the month and you can check them out on the website deluxeedition.com and it's Films and Firm and Friends Talking Nerdy. Check it out delu Now it's kind of ironic too that he told us but not like I was gonna say you know what's cool about this.

Because nothing is cool about this, but this incident happened February 7th of 2008 and this is February 5th 2024 so doesn't line up for like a 20th or 10th anniversary or anything like that But it was pretty close to the day that this happened. So I thought it was a good time to release this episode Yeah, what do you think? Should we do the thing do the thing? We'll try a quick little introduction. See if it actually works here. Sorry. Sometimes it comes out and it sounds like it's playing twice

Not really sure why, but you think we should try it? Sure. When? Now. OK.

Well, you got the end of it. Maybe you got the whole thing. But either way, let's talk about this fateful day. Routine, just normal work day that took a kind of horrifying turn when a dust explosion rocked the Imperial Sugar Refinery. The incident not only claimed 14 lives, but also left 36 others with severe injuries, 14 of whom had serious and life-threatening burns. Yikes.

I mean, it's absolutely devastating event that I don't know if you're familiar with. And I feel like a lot of people are not familiar with it. I didn't know that this even happened. I didn't either. And not that I'm one that follows the news very closely, but this was something that I just didn't hear about. Even though a lot of people weren't familiar with it, the kind of repercussions did echo throughout time. To kind of

Help understand and kind of familiarize everybody with this. I figured we should really dig into this a little bit. So I guess we should set the stage, right? The Imperial Sugar Refinery, it was a very significant part of Port Wentworth's history. Port Wentworth is a city that is in Chatham County, which is in Georgia, obviously in the United States. The 2020 population of this place was 10,878, which was more than double the population of 5,359.

in the 2010 census, which is a little bit interesting that populations coming back in this place, right? And this is kind of close if you're not overly familiar with Georgia like myself, it's a metropolitan area of Savannah, Georgia, which is more popular and well known, I feel. So the Imperial Sugar Refinery was obviously one of if not the major employer of Port Wentworth.

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provided jobs and obviously contributed to the local economy, not economy. I said it wrong, but either way, I'm going to say a lot of things wrong, so bear with me here. So with that being said, obviously, anytime a major employer in a place, it's a vital part of the community, processing sugar that found its way into countless households across the country. It was a four story building or kind of refinery that was situated right along the Savannah River in Fort Wentworth.

It was actually acquired by Imperial, headquartered in Sugarland, Texas, in 1997 from a local owner. It operated under the brand name. Originally known as the Dixie Crystal Refinery, the facility was primary employer in Port Wentworth, a town and population at the time of 3,500 before this disaster unfolded. Now is Dixie Crystal still the name? No, it went to- I feel like I know that name.

It went to the Imperial Sugar Refinery. I can type in what we have real quick for Dixie Crystal Refinery. Let's see where that is, Dixie Crystal.

I mean, it's not the Dixie chicks. That's one of the first things that puts in there. But the Dixie Crystal Sugar Refinery was originally built in 1916 and 17, uh, located in Savannah, Georgia. 97, the Imperial Sugar, uh, acquired the refinery, which was the second largest refinery in the U S at the time. So in 2022, the Imperial Sugar actually became a part of this whole thing. So. Okay. I just feel like I've heard of Dixie Crystal Sugar.

It sounds like that it still is around. It still is a thing. I mean, you can still go to dixiecrystals.com. Vintage, you can see some stuff on there. July 17th, 1917 is when it was originally there. Right. So in- Sorry, sidetracked? No, that's fine because there was 1917 for Dixie Crystal, but then in 1916, the Port Wentworth refinery came into existence through the collaborative efforts of 400 individuals relocated.

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from Louisiana for this specific venture. It actually commenced operations the next year. Imperial later acquired the refinery alongside Savannah Foods, incorporating it into a national supply and distribution network. This network actually serves major entities like Piggly Wiggly, General Mills, and Walmart, and actually emerged as the second largest in the United States, kind of like we just mentioned. The fiscal year that led up to the tragic event,

Concluding on the September 30th, 2007, the Port Wentworth facility process 14.51 million hundred weight of sugar, which was 9% of the nation's total. It's a lot of sugar. It is. In comparison, Imperial's facility that was in Louisiana handled 11, just over 11 million hundred weight of sugar during the same period.

During that year, 90% of the raw sugar supplied to the Port Wentworth facility originated from overseas. Imperial actually, they were anticipating a trend that they were going to have the vast majority of raw sugar expected to be sourced internationally in the year of the explosion. So bringing more in than having to bring it elsewhere. So leading up to the explosion though, Imperial faced financial challenges.

In the fiscal year concluding again in that 2007, September 30th, sales witnessed an 8% decline, accompanied by a 50% decrease in the company's profits in stock price. Imperial's last two annual reports before the explosion stated that any harm to Port Wentworth facility would significantly impact the company's business, financial condition, result of operations, and cash flows.

Then in 2004, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, also known as the CSB, they conducted a comprehensive study on the risk associated with dust explosions, prompted by three fatal accidents the previous year. These accidents actually happened at the West Pharmaceutical Services Explosion, which was in North Carolina and actually resulted in six fatalities. The CTA Acoustics Explosion in Kentucky had seven fatalities and the Hays.

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Lemmer's explosion that was in Indiana resulted in another fatality. So the CSB's investigation revealed that between 1980 and 2005, there were actually 281 explosions involved from the combustible dust that led to 119 deaths, 718 injuries. Isn't that wild? I mean, so many accidents and obviously plants and facilities all over the place because of this combustible dust.

So in response to these findings, the CSB made several recommendations to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA. Some of them actually had partially implemented by 2008. However, the CSB remained concerned about the potential for further fatal accidents, a concern that tragically materialized with the explosion at the Imperial Refinery in Port Windworth. Let's jump right to the date, I think, right?

and kind of explain how just a routine workday turned into such a catastrophic incident. Okay. All right. So the explosion actually unfolded at 7 p.m. local time in what was initially thought to be a room dedicated to sugar bagging. Witnesses across the Savannah River in South Carolina reported flames soaring several stories high. At the time of the incident, there were 112 employees on site and the explosion occurred in the heart of the refinery.

where bagging and storage facilities were linked through a network of elevators and conveyor belts, many of which connected six to eight story buildings with narrow gaps in between. So are we talking like this is sugar dust? Yeah, like, yeah, some of the dust from the machinery sparked this explosion. And like I said, it was something that was reported in several plants, several different locations of this being a huge risk because it's the same kind of dust.

is exploding in other facilities. Crazy. Thankfully though, emergency services were very swift to respond. Ambulances arrived from 12 different counties and firefighters from three. The United States Coast Guard closed off the river, deploying a firefighting tugboat to help extinguish the flames. Helicopter was used for river searches, refinery workers aided search and rescue operations due to the familiar, like just them being familiar with the plan's layout.

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Red Cross worker Joyce Baker, among the first responders, described the scene as kind of walking into hell, helping treat individuals with severe burns. I couldn't imagine being one of the first responders to that horrific scene. Burns are the worst too. They're so bad. So, so bad. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency alerted hospitals to prepare for up to 100 casualties.

Victims ranging from 18 to 50 years old arrived to the nearby Memorial Health Hospital in varying conditions. Some had minor burns, while others had obviously critical injuries. Eight were airlifted to the Joseph M. Still, which is a burn center in Augusta. And there was actually five that just didn't make it from those injuries. There was a nearby church that became a gathering point for families seeking information about their loved ones. At the end of the day, six people were reported missing.

with no confirmed deaths overnight. Deep seated fires were discovered and the firefighters just continually had to continue to work overnight and into the next day. Most of the river restrictions were lifted and a safety zone remained in force. The refinery structure was severely weakened and smoke damage was just extensive. The explosion obliterated the packaging area, demolished 12% of the refinery.

Debris removal began promptly with engineers came there, they're coming in to assist. Missing persons were tragically found dead. Three of them in the tunnels beneath the facility, bringing the death toll to 13. Valentine's Day, 2008. The worst of the fire had been put out. The 100 square foot storage silos remained still on fire, requiring specialized crews to address the smoldering molten sugar.

At this point, seven bodies have been recovered with an eighth person succumbing to injuries in the hospital. The incident marked the first major shutdown of U.S. sugar refinery since Hurricane Katrina forced the closure of the American Sugar Refining Incorporation, the Domino Sugar Plant in Louisiana. I don't know what that town or city is. That's a tough one to say. Chalmé, Chalmette. I would say Chalmé. Let's go with Chalmé. Shout out Chalmé, Louisiana. You're probably thinking.

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What did the investigation actually find? Well, the explosions epicenter was swiftly identified as a structure using for storing refined sugar before packaging along with the two or three adjacent 100 foot tall, 18 inch thick reinforced concrete storage silos as depicted in images. The Imperial Sugar CEO, John Shepter explained that the accumulated sugar dust likely functioned kind of like gunpowder.

A revelation made more significant by his survival in the plant due to being shielded by a firewall. Emergency personnel had to employ heavy equipment to stabilize the partially collapsed structure before venturing in for search and rescue operations. It was within 24 hours that the explosive substance was confirmed to actually be sugar dust.

You got to think too, all the, you know, the bagging and staging area and just all of that. And man, just, just one little dust particle set it off. And it took a week to put it out. So what I got from that? Yeah, pretty much. But before everything in the silos, they just couldn't, they had to bring in some special stuff, I guess, because of the way that the sugar had actually been burned. And almost what they say it was like molten.

Probably like a lavish. No. Federal investigations by the OSHA and CSB were promptly initiated involving witness interviews, document scrutiny and an onsite examination of the plant. They both arrived within two and 48 hours respectively. While state firefighters, police and the ATF conducted brief investigations, they were swiftly kind of concluded after

verifying no intentional ignition of the explosion and fire. During a press conference, February 17th, 2008, a CSB team member emphasized the persistent risk of dust explosions, underscoring a concern that had been highlighted in the 2004 report.

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I hate when you see this and there's always like, it was reported, it was reported, it was reported. And because they were financially struggling, they made things much worse. Due to the hazardous condition of the silos post explosion, investigators were initially unable to enter. The silos had to be demolished before access could be granted four months after the tragic incident. At that point, investigators theorized that the explosion originated in a basement area beneath the silos.

where sugar was conveyed up to the packaging building on conveyor belts. The actual construction materials and methods at the factory were considered contributing factors to the intensity of the blaze with a wooden tongue and groove ceiling and the use of a chemical known as fat lighter, posing an elevated fire risk. OSHA interviews with Imperial employees unveiled inadequate training with 40 workers stating they had never even received emergency exit training.

and only five people even recalled having a fire drill. That's not good. Oops. Following the catastrophic events in Port Wentworth, Imperial took decisive action, seizing operations at its Louisiana refinery just six weeks after the disaster, driven by the apprehension of a potential replication of the tragic explosion. The Louisiana facility remained dormant for over a week, and in the aftermath, they faced just...

$36,000 fine from OSHA. Feel like that's a little bit low, right? I agree. Amidst the aftermath, though, 371 employees that were at the Georgia plant received continued compensation from Imperial, demonstrating a commitment to their well-being. Moreover, 275 workers were rehired to contribute to the extensive cleanup and the demolition of the sections of the refinery that just were done. Commencing on April 18th, 2008.

The restorative effort gained momentum by the Imperial's board confirmed that the resolution intention to rebuild the reconstruction plan aimed to reinstate sugar refining operations by the close by the close of 2008. June 24, 2008. It's a pivotal moment occurred as the sugar silos met their demise and they were actually able to finally take them down with a wrecking ball. The strategic demolition paved the way for construction of the new patch packaging facility

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sugar silos anticipated to be completed by the summer of 2009. The demolition also revealed a significant recovery effort reclaiming 2.8 million pounds of fire hardened sugar from one silo and additional 500,000 pounds from the second. Imperial aimed to repurpose the salvage product, which I didn't realize could actually be used for ethanol production aligning with their commitment to sustainable practices. So I mean, that's pretty good 3.3 million pounds was able to be reused.

I was wondering if the sugar like hardened into like a hard candy. You know how, you know what I mean? Which is kind of what it's saying. Yeah. Probably not an edible hard candy though. No, but you know how like you boil it to a certain point, it becomes a hard candy when it cools. True. That's why it was interesting. Picturing in my brain and it says they use, it was hardened sugar. Well, you're hardened. We'll have to dig up some, I guess, no pun intended there.

Dig up some pictures for the Instagram of what the aftermath of that look like. That'd be very interesting. Unless I'm misunderstanding it. No, no, I think I think you're right on there. Think you're right on there. Just, you know, for when you burn or cook sugar in a much, much bigger scale. I don't burn my sugar. Not you specifically. Geez. See that? I didn't. I know domestic disputes on your tongue. Not yet. Let's hit episode 50 first.

The financial toll of the disaster ended up being $15.5 million loss in the first quarter of 2008, mainly because of the explosion that did occur. Meanwhile, the local community of Port Wentworth, they struggled with the economic downturn. Many businesses were actually faced to potentially close in the wake of the tragic event. Just, you know, you take 300, potential 300, what do you say, 325 or 275 employees.

and they're all families, leave from a town that only had 5,000 people to begin with. I mean, that's terrible. So then in 2012, they sell the company, a new company, Lewis Dreyfus Group takes over and just kind of marks a pretty significant shift in ownership and just kind of moving on with a new chapter of the refinery's history. So within a month of the accident, OSHA fearing the...

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Revealant employers may be unaware of their facilities present They presented the risk of the dust explosion sent a letter to thirty thousand employees to alert them the danger of a similar explosion That could occur They ended up trying to make a bill and all of this stuff and it was shot down by Senate US Senate The CSB released its report in September of 2009 saying the explosion had been entirely preventable The acknowledgement

highlighted that the sugar industry had recognized the threat of dust explosions as early as 1926. In particular, internal memos from company managers in 67 articulated their apprehensions regarding the potential for explosions stemming from sugar dust. Recent modifications made by Imperial Sugar in their construction inadvertently facilitated the buildup of sugar dust. Notably, evacuation protocols had never been rehearsed.

and the absence of emergency lighting resulted in individuals being confined to dimly lit hallways and tunnels during the explosion. That'd be scary. Yeah, and to just kind of summarize too, there was many, many lawsuits from, you know, the families of the employees that didn't make it, the burn victims and everything like that. And so on top of the 15.5 million just in that quarter.

There was millions and millions that were paid out, whether you think so or not, rightfully so, in my personal opinion, you know, for these families to get a little bit of a kickback in there. But the scars obviously left by this event never fully fade, especially it's not that long ago. Not only this one, but all the other reported, you know, explosions from the dust. Port Wentworth did come together and supported the affected families. And, you know,

definitely resupported the rebuild. And it's just, you know, they continue to kind of reinforce the importance of, you know, industrial work safety. And it's just unfortunate. I mean, if you type in Port Wentworth to see maybe what else is going on, what you can do there, everything for Port Wentworth, even on the Wikipedia is about this explosion. So, you know, as we wrap up today's episode, it's crucial to remember the lives lost and the lessons learned from the Imperial Sugar Refinery Explosion.

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And obviously our thoughts will always go out to the families and community of Port Wentworth and other, you know, terrible stuff that does happen on this, uh, on this podcast. So what do you think of this, uh, of this? I mean, you kind of nailed the building up of the hardened sugar.

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I just can't imagine. Yeah. I mean, the amount of panic, you know, trying to, is it my loved one? Is it there heading to that local church? Just seeing the news, seeing this. And I mean, we're from small areas and you know, if anything, you know, the, the community that you grew up with, you've seen some major employers go away in the impact of not only the community, but the school districts, the businesses, the many have had to come and go because there's just.

Not enough to support it, you know? It's a terrible thing. All right. Should we do the quote? So how could that be prevented, you think? Do you think it's like a ventilation system? I'd have to imagine. And this is up to par. Yeah, and it was crazy, too, that they said that the renovations that they recently did caused this. You would think that they would do renovations to prevent this. I would have to imagine, like you said, better ventilation. And I would think there has to be

a better way to keep the equipment cleaner. You know what I mean? And maybe, like I said, neither of us have ever worked, obviously, in a sugar refinery or this industry. So we're just kind of guessing. But it would be interesting to know. Maybe we'll do a follow-up, put it on yourtown.com, and maybe Zach can also do a little bit of digging into, how could you prevent that? I mean, I think sitting back, at least my initial thought is like, it can't be that hard with the right amount of money to do it, but.

If it's a little, little piece of dust, that's gotta be a difficult thing that could spark and cause an explosion that's happened at several plants. Right. And you know, there's sugar in everything. You know, business has to be booming. I mean, I don't know. That's just crazy to me. Yeah, I don't know. You wanna hit them with the coal? Sure. All right. Like sugar dissolving in water, sweetness spreads joy through life's bitter moments.

leaving behind a delightful aftertaste by an unknown person. Yeah, I did a bunch of quotes, and I was just like, can I get a quote about some sugar? And that's the one that came in and I said, unknown. So if you were the one that said that, thank you so much. And we will give you credit for credit is due. Speaking of that, let's hit up the sources. Wikipedia as always, we love you. CSB.gov, W-S-A-V.com, and NPR.org. So that was a...

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That was a bit of an explosive episode. Huh. Can't thank, obviously, Meg. Can't thank you. I know before we pressed record, I was telling you how much I really do enjoy this. I look forward to being able to record with you. That's a little bit of a longer episode. Not too much longer, but a little bit. We are trying some things. Let us know, obviously, if there's a story. There's a town. We just hit 15 of the 50 states now with Georgia. So if there's any stories in your area in the.

We're going to try a couple of true crime episodes. And we've done a couple, but I think it's going to be really cool to find some stories that are not nationally well known and put our little take on it. Do some do some deep dives into some research and by we hopefully at Zach. And he does like that. And like I said, he is a huge true crime fan and definitely inspired by the Wicked and Grim podcast. And yeah, I'm looking forward to obviously continuing with history.

and true crime and this is fun. Anything do some true crime stuff? Let's do it. I want to do it next week. Sure. All right. Don't hold us to it if we don't. But either way, we can't thank you guys enough or whatever reason for listening to this. Check out your town dot com, the interactive map. And if you're listening and you like this hat, maybe you could get one of your own or a shirt. Should we put out shirts, Meg? Sure. And nobody really wants a shirt. All right. We're not going to.

If you want shirts or hats, feel free to let us know on the socials. Either way, we can't thank you guys enough and we'll see you next week. OK, bye. OK, bye.