HOLMES COUNTY, Ohio — Six people were injured following a dust explosion and fire at a moulding facility in Holmes County on Tuesday, according to local emergency officials.

According to a Facebook post reporting the incident, East Holmes Fire & EMS responded at 12:43 p.m. at Holmes Custom Moulding, where crews reported a structure fire accompanied by an explosion. First units arrived within one minute and requested additional ambulances after identifying multiple burn victims.

A medical helicopter was requested but was unable to respond due to weather conditions.

Six patients were treated at the scene and transported to area hospitals, including two to Akron Children's Hospital and four to Pomerene Hospital. Of the six patients, four were later released from hospital. 

Preliminary information indicates the explosion was caused by sparks from a malfunctioning belt sander entering a sawdust collection system. The ignition of wood dust led to an explosion that caused extensive damage to the building, including the dust collection system and sawdust silos.

Firefighters remained on site for approximately five hours, working to extinguish hotspots throughout the facility and dust system.

The incident highlights ongoing safety concerns surrounding combustible dust in wood products manufacturing environments. 

In an August 2025 interview with Woodworking Network, industry expert Robert Williamson at Nederman Corporation explained the dangers of wood dust explosions and what leads to these incidents: 

Williamson explained that to cause a wood dust explosion, five elements, which he called a "Dust Explosion Pentagon," must be present. Wood dust, when finely divided and suspended in the air, acts as a combustible fuel source. The wood dust must be suspended in the air at a sufficient concentration to form a dust cloud. Sufficient oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere is necessary to sustain the combustion reaction, and an ignition source such as a spark, static electricity, open flame, or hot surface, is required to ignite the dispersed wood dust. Finally, the dust cloud needs to be enclosed within a space, such as a dust collector, silo, or room, to allow pressure to build up and create an explosion.