ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update into the investigation of the chemical reaction and toxic gas release that caused a massive fire at the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers on Sept. 29.
The reaction involved materials stored in a warehouse that generated heat, which led to the decomposition of the chemicals and released toxic vapors, which caused fires.
The resulting massive plumes of toxic smoke contained chlorine and other hazardous substances.
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Approximately 17,000 people in the surrounding community were evacuated and nearly 90,000 people in metropolitan Atlanta were advised to shelter in place.
Interstate 20, which runs parallel to the facility, was shut down for about 18 hours, and smaller roads were closed for even longer.
According to the CSB’s report, on Sept. 29, at 5 am, a Bio-Lab employee on fire watch in the Plant 12 storage warehouse heard a “popping sound.”
There were no visible flames at that time.
The employee unsuccessfully searched for the reacting product and then called the only other employees on-site.
At approximately 5:10 am, the employee called 911 due to the large hazardous plumes of toxic vapors inside the building.
By 6:30 am, flames were visible above the area of the chemical reaction and were extinguished in less than two hours.
Emergency evacuations began around 12:30 pm after a second larger fire broke out at Bio-Lab’s Plant 12.
That fire was extinguished by 4 pm.
The CSB is continuing to investigate what caused the decomposition of the products that caused the release of toxic vapors and the fire.
A BioLab spokesperson sent the following statement to Channel 2 Action News:
“BioLab has a strong track record of working constructively with regulatory agencies and will continue to cooperate with the CSB’s investigation, which still remains ongoing. Our top priority is and has always been the health and safety of the communities within which we operate, and we worked collaboratively with first responders and local, state, and federal authorities to successfully remediate the situation at our Conyers warehouse storing chemicals that treat swimming pools and spas. We remain firmly committed to understanding the causes of the incident and to making things right for impacted area residents and business owners.”
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