ATLANTA (AP) – Federal authorities have released an investigation into a fire at the BioLab chemical plant near Atlanta that released a cloud of toxic chemicals and forced nearby residents to evacuate.
The fire started on Sept. 29 at the BioLab plant in Conyers, sending a large plume of orange and black smoke into the air. The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board on Friday released an investigation.
BioLab makes chemicals that kill algae and bacteria in water, especially for swimming pools and hot tubs, the report says. It is a subsidiary of Lawrenceville, Georgia-based KIK Consumer Products.
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A BioLab worker on fire at the Plant 12 warehouse reported hearing a “pop sound” when they left the lobby to check at 5 a.m. and immediately noticed that the liquid-sensitive product was wet, the report says. The employee called one BioLab employee instead.
Although no flames were initially seen, a fire watch operator mistakenly tried to isolate the product and called 911 at 5:10 a.m. as “masses of toxic fumes” formed inside the building.
At 6:30 in the morning, flames could be seen through the roof of the building where workers began to notice chemical reactions. The first shelter-in-place order was issued around 7:40 a.m., and the fire was extinguished by Rockdale County firefighters about 30 minutes later.
A second fire broke out in the afternoon, producing “massive black smoke, followed by multi-colored plumes,” the report said. Evacuation of the surrounding area began around 12:30 pm, and the district fire chief said the fire was extinguished by 4 pm.
Parts of the building where the first incident took place collapsed during the fire, and the building was completely destroyed. The Plant 12 facility covered an area larger than five football fields and remained a “quick response site” for nearly four weeks, the report says.
The Plant 12 warehouse was mostly a storage area separated from the main warehouse by a firewall and fire barriers, the report says. BioLab told federal investigators that it established a permanent fire watch two or three months before the incident “after noticing a strong odor from oxidizer in two storage facilities,” including Plant 12.
Interstate 20, which runs parallel to the area, was closed shortly after the building collapsed around 1 p.m. and was closed until 7 a.m. the next day. Minor roads near the site remained closed and the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency issued a stay-at-home warning within a two-mile radius that lasted for several weeks. The last order ended on October 17.
The smoke rose toward Atlanta, causing smoke or mist that smelled of chlorine in the city and surrounding areas.
More than 10 cases have been filed in relation to this fire.