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The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released the final report on the Bio-Lab fire in Conyers.
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The chemical fire and toxic gas release happened in Conyers in Sept. 2024, according to the 148-page report.
Investigators said at least 17,000 people in the surrounding community were forced to evacuate. More than 90,000 people in the Atlanta metropolitan area were advised to shelter in place.
That shelter-in-place order was in effect for nearly 20 days for those closest to Bio-Lab.
Porch’se Miller is a neighbor of Bio-Lab. She is one of many who said the fire damaged their lungs.
She read the report released Tuesday.
“It’s not really surprising it didn’t have to happen,” said Miller.
At the time of the fire, Bio-Lab was storing more than 14 million pounds of chemicals used to treat water used for pools and spas, according to investigators.
That’s more than Bio-Lab told Rockdale County it would store when it obtained a permit to open a warehouse near Interstate 20 in Conyers in 2019.
“Well over two times the amount originally planned to be stored at this facility,” said Stephen Klejst.
Klejst is the Executive Director of Investigations and Recommendations for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
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He said investigators determined that because the warehouse was not air-conditioned or properly ventilated, it was humid enough for the moisture in the air to react with the chemicals stored there. That reaction corroded most of the building’s fire sprinkler system.
A leaking fire sprinkler caused water to come in contact with chemicals stored there. That caused a chemical reaction that generated heat, dense smoke, and activated other sprinkler heads in the warehouse. That sprinkler water caused other chemicals to react. Then, fires started to spread.
Klejst said Bio-Lab should have known the risk. Insurance inspectors told managers, and the company even installed one corrosion-proof sprinkler head system in part of the building. However, it did not install that type of system throughout.
“The corrosion is a well-known phenomenon,” said Klejst. “There were precautions and steps that they could have taken to prevent what did take place.”
Making matters worse, Klejst said the chemicals were stored improperly and hindered firefighter access.
“That certainly impacted their ability to react to a decomposition event,” said Klejst.
A Georgia Tech Atmospheric Science Professor, Greg Huey, monitored air quality after the fire.
He read the final report and said the amount of material stored in the Conyers warehouse caught his attention.
“This shouldn’t have happened,” said Huey. “It was a mistake, and having less chemicals there would have decreased the magnitude.”
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Bio-Lab said it is still reviewing the final report.
A spokesperson wrote to Channel 2 Action News stating, “The health and safety of the communities where we operate is a top priority, and we worked collaboratively with first responders and relevant authorities to complete the emergency response in October 2024. We also completed the clean-up of the site affected by the fire and established resources dedicated to supporting area residents and business owners.”
Neighbors, like Miller, dealing with lung and breathing issues since then, said, “You know, they never cared about the human. They only cared about the work.”
Bio-Lab said it is not storing any raw materials in Conyers anymore, but it is distributing product from that location.
Channel 2 Action News is still waiting for Rockdale County leaders to respond to the report findings.
We are also waiting for a response from those suing Bio-Lab.
We told you in June two Rockdale County deputies and one resident want a jury trial because they argue the company’s negligence exposed them and their homes to the chemical plume that caused severe lung injuries.
