The Thiokol-Woodbine explosion occurred at 10:53 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, February 3, 1971, at the Thiokol chemical plant, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Woodbine, Georgia, and 30 miles (48 km) north of Jacksonville, Florida, when large quantities of flares and their components in building M-132 were ignited by a fire and detonation occurred.

However, the space agency changed plans and decided to use liquid fuel, therefore, Thiokol modified the installation to manufacture other products.

[3] Magnesium is the primary component in flares; shavings/ribbons can ignite at 950 °F (510 °C), and the element generates bright white light when it burns at a temperature of approximately 2,500 °F (1,370 °C).

It cannot be extinguished by normal methods; water combines with magnesium to release hydrogen gas, which also burns; carbon dioxide (CO2) is not effective, either.

However, in a confined space, heat and pressure build up, causing detonation (explosion), which is uncontrolled and propagates through shock wave compression.

Prior to 1967, the components of tripflares were classified as class 7 hazardous material, a category reserved for the most dangerous substances except biological and nuclear.

This one was different; it jumped to the material on the conveyor belt and spread up and down the production line, setting fire to ignition and illuminant pellets stored in containers near the line before reaching the "cure" room and a storage room, which contained nearly five tons of processed material, pellets, and 56,322 assembled flares.

[5] The survivors recalled two minor concussions before the enormous explosion when the contents of the "cure" and storage rooms detonated, followed by a huge fireball.

[3] In 1971, the only emergency capability in Camden County was the 25-man volunteer fire department in Kingsland, 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the plant.

He immediately requested ambulances and equipment from surrounding counties, including Nassau and Duval in Florida, but had no idea how bad the situation really was.

[7] The Georgia Division of Forestry was notified, and workers arrived with bulldozers and plowed a firebreak to contain the forest fire.

Carter was told by J.B. Galloway, the plant's manager, that a building fire caused the blast, but the material being processed was not normally explosive.

They both agreed on three causes: Initially, lawsuits were filed against Thiokol Chemical and the United States jointly, but Georgia law prevented employees from suing their employer because they were covered by workers' compensation insurance.