A chemical reaction triggered the massive fire and toxic smoke plume at a Georgia lab in September, endangering nearby communities and metropolitan Atlanta, according to findings released by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB).
The CSB published its report on Friday, detailing the events surrounding the September 29 chemical fire at the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia.
According to the safety board, the primary substances involved in the incident were chemicals commonly used for cleaning and disinfecting:
bromochloro-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (BCDMH), trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA), and sodium dichloroisocyanurate (DCCA). These chemicals, stored in the plant’s warehouse, generated heat as they degraded, ultimately breaking down and releasing toxic vapours that ignited the fires, the CSB stated in its report.
Federal US authorities have provided an update on their investigation into the fires at the BioLab chemical plant near Atlanta, which created a toxic chemical cloud and forced nearby residents to shelter in place.
The fires, which occurred on September 29 at the BioLab facility in Conyers, produced a massive plume of orange and black smoke visible across the area. On Friday, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released details about the incident.
BioLab, a subsidiary of Lawrenceville, Georgia-based KIK Consumer Products, manufactures chemicals used to kill algae and bacteria in swimming pools and hot tubs.
In a statement, the company emphasized its “strong track record of working constructively” with regulators and pledged full cooperation with the federal investigation. “We remain firmly committed to understanding the causes of the incident and to making things right for impacted area residents and business owners,” the statement read.
According to the report, a BioLab employee assigned to fire watch at the Plant 12 storage warehouse heard a “popping sound” at around 5 a.m. while leaving a break room for a routine check. The employee immediately noticed that a water-reactive product had become wet and contacted the only other staff member on-site. Despite no initial flames, the employee’s attempts to isolate the chemical were unsuccessful. By 5:10 a.m., they called 911 after noticing “large toxic vapor plumes” forming inside the building.
By 6:30 a.m., flames were visible through the roof where the reaction occurred, prompting an initial shelter-in-place order at 7:40 a.m. Rockdale County firefighters extinguished the fire about 30 minutes later. However, a second fire ignited around noon, producing “thick black smoke, followed by multicolour plumes,” according to the report. Evacuations began at 12:30 p.m., and the fire chief confirmed that the blaze was extinguished by 4 p.m.
The fire caused significant structural damage, with parts of the building collapsing. The Plant 12 warehouse, a bulk storage facility spanning an area larger than five football fields, was completely destroyed. The site remained an “active emergency response scene” for nearly four weeks, according to investigators.
The Plant 12 warehouse was separated from the main warehouse by a firewall and fire shutters. BioLab informed investigators that a permanent fire watch had been implemented two to three months earlier due to “strong odours from oxidizers” in Plant 12 and another storage building. A thermal decomposition event in common cleaning agents caused the massive chemical explosion at the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers
The incident also disrupted transportation, as Interstate 20, running parallel to the facility, was closed shortly after the building’s collapse at around 1 p.m. The highway reopened the next morning at 7 a.m., but nearby roads and a two-mile shelter-in-place zone enforced by the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency remained in effect for weeks, lifting only on October 17.
Smoke from the fire drifted toward Atlanta, creating a haze and chlorine-like odor in parts of the city and surrounding areas.
The disaster has led to over a dozen lawsuits being filed against the company. A thermal decomposition event in common cleaning agents caused the massive chemical explosion at the Bio-Lab facility in Conyers
Read More:
Coverage from September 30th:
CNN:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/29/us/rockdale-county-biolab-fire-georgia/index.html
