Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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This past weekend (February 7, 2008) marked the 18th anniversary of the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion, a combustible dust explosion that left 14 people dead in Port Wentworth, Georgia, on February 7, 2008. It remains one of the deadliest dust explosions in U.S. history.

In this video, NFPA Senior Engineer Alexander Ing explains the five elements that make up the dust explosion pentagon, including:

⛽️ Fuel
🫧 Oxygen
🔥 Ignition source
💨 Dispersion
📦 Confinement

In 2024, NFPA consolidated all of its combustible dust standards into the new NFPA 660, Standard for Combustible Dusts and Particulate Solids. Learn more by visiting nfpa.org/660.