Symrise Hit with Class Action Over ‘Massive’ Fire, Explosions at Georgia Facility

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Symrise, Inc. faces a proposed class action in the wake of several explosions and a massive fire at the company’s Brunswick, Georgia facility.

The seven-page case alleges Symrise, a flavors and fragrances manufacturer, and the plant’s maintenance supervisor, Vincent Noble, failed to maintain the facility in a safe and operable condition, resulting in three explosions and a fire in the early hours of November 7, 2022. Per the complaint, the defendants’ negligence exposed Glynn County residents to potentially toxic fumes and forced several neighborhoods to evacuate.

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According to a press release from the Glynn County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, a fire was reported at the Symrise chemical plant around 4 a.m. that night. The first explosion occurred when the Glynn County Fire Rescue arrived at the site, and two more explosions occurred right as the team was withdrawing, the report states.

The Brunswick News reports that at least three explosions occurred within several tanks containing pinane peroxide, a hydrogen peroxide mixture that Symrise manufactures and stores in “large volumes” at its facility, the filing states. County firefighters battled the blaze for two hours before depleting an on-site 1.5 million-gallon water supply and calling for reinforcements, the article says. 

In response to a “huge plume of thick, black smoke” and potentially dangerous chemical fumes that spread over the surrounding area, county officials around 6 a.m. ordered an evacuation for residents within a one-mile radius of the plant and a shelter-in-place for neighborhoods within a three-mile radius. The county update also revealed that one firefighter sustained minor injuries and that the fire had been contained.

The case charges that Symrise, Inc. “knew or should have known that hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizer which greatly enhances the combustion of other chemicals should they ignite if not properly stored and/or handled.” The suit also relays that Symrise has been the subject of several investigations by various governmental agencies stemming from numerous safety complaints.

As a result of Symrise’s “ultra-hazardous activity,” Glynn County residents “suffered annoyance and discomfort because of the deprivation of their unrestricted use and full enjoyment of their dwelling places,” the complaint argues.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone who was a Glynn County, Georgia resident on November 7, 2022 and was required to evacuate their dwelling place on that date as a result of a fire/explosion at Symrise’s Colonel’s Island facility.

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