7 Burned in Explosion, Fire at Santa Maria Sugar Plant

An explosion and flash fire in the warehouse of a sugar refinery in Santa Maria burned seven workers Friday, three critically, Santa Barbara County Fire Department officials said.

The explosion rocked the second floor of the six-story brick Union Sugar Co. warehouse, where about 45 men were sorting and bagging sugar.

The blast caused significant damage to the roof and walls of the warehouse, but the flash fire caused minimal damage before it was extinguished, said Charlie Johnson, a Fire Department spokesman. Cause of the fire is under investigation, but Johnson said it appeared to be a “dust explosion,” similar to grain elevator explosions in which fine particles of wheat can be ignited by a spark.

‘Anything Could Ignite It’

“It could be dust or sugar dust and anything could ignite it--a cigarette, a static charge from a switch,” he said. “It releases a tremendous amount of energy and could blow apart a wall and roof.”

The Union Sugar plant, a division of Holly Sugar Corp., produces beet sugar in Santa Maria, about 75 miles north of Santa Barbara.

The workers initially thought there had been an earthquake, said Janice Randall Davis, a spokeswoman for Valley Community Hospital, where the four less seriously injured were treated and released.

“One of the men said he saw flashes of fire and then saw doors blown out,” she said. “He said the whole building shook.”

The critically injured were identified as Raul Orozco, 23, of Guadalupe, and Steven Pasos, 28, and Gerry Freese, 50, of Santa Maria. They suffered second- and third-degree burns over about 25% of their bodies and were taken by helicopter to the burn center at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital after initial treatment at Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria.