Explosion at Millersburg Wood Plant Injures Six, Sawdust Collector Blamed

Sparks from a malfunctioning belt sander touched off an explosion and fire at Holmes Custom Moulding on County Road 120 in Millersburg on Tuesday, March 17, injuring six people and leaving significant damage to the building and its sawdust silos, according to East Holmes Fire & EMS.

East Holmes Fire & EMS responded just after 12:30 p.m., with the first units arriving on scene one minute later. Those crews immediately called for additional ambulances because of the number of burn victims. A medical helicopter was also requested but could not fly due to inclement weather. Two of the six victims were transported to a children's hospital and four were taken to another hospital, according to an East Holmes Facebook post published Wednesday, March 18.

Firefighters determined that sparks from the malfunctioning belt sander entered a sawdust collection system, causing the explosion. The blast caused significant damage to the building and its sawdust silos. Winesburg volunteer firefighters and EMS workers, along with Holmes Fire District No. 1, provided mutual aid at the scene. Crews remained on site for about five hours until the last hotspots had been extinguished.

The names and conditions of the six injured individuals have not been released. No fatalities were reported in information provided by East Holmes Fire & EMS. Whether OSHA, the Ohio state fire marshal, or Holmes County emergency management officials have opened a formal investigation into the cause has not been confirmed.