PEPCON Explosion 1988

PEPCON Explosion and Fire

On this day May 4, 1988,  an explosion at the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) perchlorate plant in Henderson, Nevada killed 2 people and injured 372.  A large portion of the Las Vegas Valley within a 10 mile radius of the plant was affected, and caused an estimated damage of $100 million to the surrounding area.

A total of seven explosions occurred involving various containers of ammonium perchlorate, with the two largest occurring in the drums, followed by the aluminum containers. These two explosions were measured at 3.0 and 3.5 on the Richter scale by the National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado, some 600 miles away. Over eight million pounds of perchlorate were consumed in the fire and explosions. A crater estimated at 15 feet deep and over 200 feet  wide was left in the storage area.

The nearby Kidd & Co. marshmallow plant was nearly destroyed and numerous homes, schools, and businesses suffered varying degrees of damage. Property damage to buildings other than the plant was estimated to be $74 million. Windows shattered as far as the Boulevard Mall and UNLV.

Clark County Fire Department Fire Investigators determined that sparks from a welder’s torch ignited the ammonium perchlorate. Poor housekeeping contributed to the fire and the resulting explosions.

The first explosion was the smallest and provided a warning to company employees to evacuate the complex. Two more detonations obliterated the property, but by then, all but two management members of the company had escaped.

After the explosion, the plant was renamed Western Electrochemical Co. and relocated to southern Utah. It operates now in Iron County, approximately 14 miles northwest of Cedar
City, Utah.