Investigation
The location of the explosion was quickly established as a building used to store refined sugar prior to packaging it and two of three 100 foot (30 m) tall, 18 inches (46 cm) thick reinforced concrete storage silos adjacent to it, as pictured. Heavy equipment had to be used to shore up the partially collapsed structure before firefighters could enter it to search for victims, as well as several other 'key' areas. The explosive substance was also identified within 24 hours to be sugar dust.
Federal investigations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) were launched and are continuing, with methods employed including interviewing witnesses, checking documentation and on-scene examination of the plant. OSHA arrived within two hours and the CSB within 48 hours. Other brief investigations were conducted by state firefighters and police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, but these were ended quickly after confirming there was no evidence of the explosion and fire having been deliberately started. In a press conference held on February 17, 2008 one of the six members of the CSB team said that the explosion showed the ongoing risk from dust explosions despite their report highlighting the matter in 2004.
Investigators were unable to enter the silos themselves as OSHA ruled them to be too hazardous after the explosion. They were only able to access the area after their eventual demolition. By the time this occurred, four months after the disaster, it was believed that the explosion initiated in a basement area beneath the silos, from which sugar was fed up to the packaging building on conveyor belts.
It is believed that the factory's outdated construction materials and methods contributed to the severity of the blaze. The ceiling was of wooden tongue and groove design, and creosote used throughout was known as “fat lighter” because of the fire risk it posed.
OSHA's final report must be released by August 7, six months after the accident.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Georgia Sugar Refinery Explosion