ATLANTA—Federal authorities have provided an update on the investigation into fires at the BioLab chemical plant near Atlanta that resulted in a toxic chemical cloud, leading to nearby residents having to shelter in place.
The fires occurred on Sept. 29 at the BioLab plant in Conyers, releasing a large plume of orange and black smoke into the sky. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released an investigation update on Friday.
BioLab manufactures chemicals that are used to eliminate algae and bacteria in water, primarily for swimming pools and hot tubs, as per the report. The company is a subsidiary of KIK Consumer Products, based in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
An employee at BioLab, who was on fire watch at the Plant 12 storage warehouse, heard a “popping sound” upon leaving a breakroom for a 5 a.m. check and noticed that a water-reactive product was wet, the report states. The employee immediately contacted the only other BioLab employee on site.
Although no flames were initially visible, the employee on fire watch attempted unsuccessfully to isolate the product and called 911 around 5:10 a.m. as “large toxic vapor plumes” began to form inside the building.
By 6:30 a.m., flames were visible through the roof of the area where the chemical reaction was first noticed. An initial shelter-in-place order was issued around 7:40 a.m., and the fire was extinguished by Rockdale County firefighters approximately 30 minutes later.
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A second fire erupted around noon, emitting “thick black smoke, followed by multicolor plumes,” according to the report. Evacuations of the surrounding area began around 12:30 p.m., and the county fire chief confirmed that the fire was extinguished by 4 p.m.
Parts of the building where the initial reaction occurred collapsed during the fire, resulting in the complete destruction of the building. The Plant 12 warehouse covered an area larger than five football fields and remained an “active emergency response scene” for nearly four weeks, the report reveals.
The Plant 12 warehouse served as a bulk storage area separated from the main warehouse by a firewall and fire shutters, the report states. BioLab informed federal investigators that they had implemented a permanent fire watch two or three months prior to the incident “after detecting strong odors from oxidizers in two storage buildings, including Plant 12.”
Interstate 20, which runs parallel to the facility, was closed shortly after the building collapsed just before 1 p.m. and remained closed until approximately 7 a.m. the following day. Smaller roads near the facility were also shut down, and the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency issued shelter-in-place advisories within a two-mile radius that lasted for several weeks. The final order expired on Oct. 17.
Smoke drifted towards Atlanta, causing a smog or haze with a scent of chlorine in parts of the city and its surroundings.
More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed in connection with the fire.
