Date: May 12, 2020
Location: Caro, Michigan (USA)
Address: 725 S. Almer Street, 48723
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Sugar Beet Processing (Food Processing)
Equipment: Pulp Pellet Bin
Company: Michigan Sugar
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company’s website, Michigan Sugar is the third-largest beet sugar processor in the U.S., producing an average of about 1.1 billion pounds of sugar per year. It sells products in wholesale and retail quantities under the Pioneer® Sugar and Big Chief® Sugar brands. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Bay City, Michigan.
Incident Description:
On May 12, 2020, WNEM reported an explosion and fire in a pulp pellet bin at a beet sugar processor in Caro, Michigan.
When fire crews arrived soon after 1:47 p.m., they found that two of the bin’s 20 roof panels had been blown off. One was on the ground and the other was left hanging from the roof.
A company spokesperson confirmed that employees and Caro Fire had been monitoring a hotspot in the bin for a couple of weeks. Crews were removing pellets from the bin when they ignited.
The fire was contained and no one was injured.
Previous Incidents:
News coverage of the incident stated that fires were reported in a silo on May 2 and 11, but it was unclear if the fires were all in the same silo. There was no press coverage of these events.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up two OSHA inspections for this facility, but neither one was flagged for combustible dust.
Sources:
WNEM
