Remembering The Victims Of The Thiokol Factory Explosion In South Georgia

Jannie Everette recalls the history of the Thiokol Plant Explosion.

Courtesy of Jannie Everette

Fifty years ago today, a blast at the Thiokol Factory in Camden County would change lives there forever.

Twenty-nine people died, and at least 50 people were injured in the blast when a section of the south Georgia munitions factory exploded, causing a chain reaction.

Jannie Everette was in high school when the explosion happened and remains on a mission to ensure the victims and their families are never forgotten. She says one way to do that is to keep telling the story of what happened on February 3, 1971.

As part of that effort, she’s pushing to have a memorial built in honor of the 29 lives lost in the explosion.