Although the 1988 PEPCON disaster in Clark County, Nevada, killed two employees and had the potential to kill many hundreds more, time and the remote location have distanced us from its lessons. One of the ammonium perchlorate (AP) explosions that day matched the explosive yield of a one-kiloton nuclear airblast and moved Richter scale instruments in other states. Awaiting NASA’s return to flight following the Challenger mishap, stockpiled AP quietly accumulated in storage containers unsuited for the chemical’s massive energy potential. Hot work maintenance was scheduled and performed without understanding the potential risk; when a spark from hot work ignited material covered in AP residue, the lacking fire response systems and procedure was utterly incapable of intervening. Consider if this case motivates checks for accumulating hazardous material at your center, especially if high-energy systems exist or activities will occur in close proximity to potentially dangerous material.