Safety lapses, heat may have triggered deadly Dewas cracker factory blast: Experts

Indore: The massive explosion at a firecracker factory in Tonk Kalan village of Dewas district has once again raised serious concerns over safety violations in fireworks manufacturing units and the science behind such high-intensity blasts.

Explosives and chemical safety experts said that in most firecracker factory accidents, a small spark acts only as the trigger, while the real destruction is caused by chain reactions inside confined sheds packed with combustible chemicals.

According to experts and guidelines issued by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), fireworks factories must follow strict rules for storing, handling and manufacturing explosive compounds. These units commonly use chemicals such as sulphur, potassium nitrate and aluminium powder, all of which can ignite rapidly due to heat, friction, impact or even static electricity.

Explosives expert Sharad Sarwate said overcrowded sheds, bulk storage and improper mixing of chemicals significantly increase blast pressure after ignition. In enclosed structures, rapidly burning compounds generate extreme heat and pressure, turning walls, roofs and machinery into deadly projectiles.

“The blast appears to have been triggered by a mixture of multiple chemicals used in firecracker manufacturing. With temperatures crossing 40 degrees Celsius, the extreme heat could have intensified the chemical reaction and increased the risk of ignition,” he said.

“It is possible that apart from standard firecracker compounds, certain additional substances may have been mixed that accelerated the reaction and caused the explosion to take the form of a high-intensity blast,” he added.

Investigators are now examining the exact chemical mixtures used inside the factory.

“The intensity of the explosion was so severe that the human body could not withstand the impact, leading to catastrophic injuries and dismemberment,” Sarwate said.

Retired chemistry professor Dr SL Garg said the blast may have been caused by highly reactive chemical mixtures stored in extreme heat conditions. He noted that materials like magnesium ignite easily and require strict handling protocols.

He also said that worker safety norms are often ignored in the race to maximise profits. “Such incidents are rare abroad because international safety standards are enforced strictly. Here, illegal mixtures, overcrowding and poor safety compliance often turn a small spark into a massive explosion,” an expert said.

PESO norms require segregation of raw materials, limited daily-use storage, proper ventilation and separate sheds for mixing, drying and packing operations. The rules also mandate non-sparking tools, anti-static flooring and controlled worker presence inside manufacturing units.

Safety experts added that properly designed fireworks factories should have isolated single-storey sheds with weak “blow-out” sections that release pressure outward during explosions, reducing casualties.

However, many illegal or poorly monitored units operate in cramped structures where storage and manufacturing activities are carried out together, greatly increasing the scale of destruction during accidents.

The Dewas explosion, which killed several workers and left many others with severe burn injuries, has now raised fresh questions over regulatory oversight, periodic inspections and enforcement of explosives safety norms in rural industrial clusters.