Federal authorities have released an update on the investigation into fires at the BioLab chemical plant near Atlanta that produced a toxic chemical cloud and forced nearby residents to shelter in place.
The fires broke out Sept. 29 at the BioLab plant in Conyers, sending a huge plume of orange and black smoke into the sky. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board on Friday released an investigation update.
BioLab makes chemicals that kill algae and bacteria in water, primarily for swimming pools and hot tubs, the report says. The company is a subsidiary of Lawrenceville, Georgia-based KIK Consumer Products.
A BioLab employee on fire watch at the Plant 12 storage warehouse reported hearing a “popping sound” as they left a breakroom to do a 5 a.m. check and immediately saw that a product reactive to water was wet, the report says. The employee called the only other BioLab employee on site.
Though no flames were initially observed, the employee on fire watch tried unsuccessfully to isolate the product and called 911 at about 5:10 a.m. as “large toxic vapor plumes” formed inside the building.