Understanding the cascading levels of combustible dust incidents requires knowledge of the five basic elements of the explosion pentagon: 1.heat 2.oxidant 3.fuel 4.suspension 5.confinement. On the first level, combustible dust layer fires possess all elements of the basic fire triangle. On the second level, flash fires evolve when a dust layer becomes suspended in a cloud, then ignited via an effective ignition source. A harrowing fireball lasting a few brief seconds then manifests itself. Personnel near the propagating fireball sustain life-threatening burn injuries unless flame resistant clothing is worn to minimise the severity of third degree burns.
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