UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employees #1 and #2 were temporary laborers; Employee #9 worked for an outside trucking firm. Employees #4 through #8 were employees of a company that was processing combustible powders (ferromanganese, etc.) for use in manufacturing welding fluxes. Three production operations were functioning: the #3 screening system, where an inert material is ground, sized, and screened; the dryer, where ferromanganese is stabilized; and the nugget system, where manganese and iron powders are mixed with a "glue" to make "nuggets." A series of explosions occurred, probably originating at the nugget machine where sparks/fire entered the outside bag dust collector through the duct work, causing a violent explosion within the collector. The top of the collector blew, and flaming pieces of metal flew onto a wooden portion of the plant roof. The fire spread rapidly because of the wood roof, the combustible dust/powders in the plant and, possibly, because of ruptured gas lines. Employee #1 was killed and Employees #2 through #9 were hospitalized.