BioLab fire: Investigators talk about investigation into massive fire
BioLab reportedly storing more chemicals than reported
A new report from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board says that BioLab in Conyers was storing twice the amount of chemicals it had previously reported.
CONYERS, Ga. - A federal agency is revealing new findings from its investigation into the massive 2024 chemical fire at the BioLab facility in Rockdale County.
PREVIOUS STORY: BioLab fire report reveals 'disturbing' lack of safeguards for chemical storage, agency says
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) says Biolab was storing more than twice the amount of chemicals it had originally reported.
What they're saying:
"We are working to understand and get to the cause of the incident," said Vonzella Vincent, lead investigator for the CSB.
Vincent and her team are continuing to examine the fire, which sent a massive plume of smoke into the air and forced 17,000 people to evacuate. Nearly 100,000 others were placed under shelter-in-place orders.
"There were two BioLab employees who were on site at the discovery of the incident," Vincent said. "One of them was physically in the building of the warehouse where the incident occurred, and that employee did hear a popping sound. That employee told the CSB they thought it was related to the ice machine because that was located close to the area the employee was."
Stephen Klejst, executive director of investigations for the CSB, emphasized the agency's mission: "We are charged with the responsibility of conducting an investigation. We do fact-based engineering and science-based investigation to determine cause or probable cause."
OTHER RECENT STORIES
- Town hall meeting for residents impacted by BioLab fire
- BioLab completes remediation; halts manufacturing at Conyers facility
- Report reveals new details about BioLab chemical plant fire
- BioLab reopens distribution center, still providing community support
What They Found:
In a recently published update, the CSB revealed three major findings. Most notably, the warehouse where the fire started was storing approximately 14 million pounds of solid oxidizers.
"Based on the inventory information that BioLab provided the CSB at the time of the incident, the warehouse where the fire occurred was storing approximately 14 million pounds of solid oxidizers," Vincent said.
That amount is more than twice what BioLab reported it would store at the facility in 2019.
"Prior to the incident, BioLab had experienced corrosion on components of its warehouse fire protection system and had been working under their maintenance program to address those," Vincent added.
According to the CSB, corrosion was observed shortly after chemical storage began in 2019, and inspection reports documented repeated failures in the facility’s sprinkler system.
"We definitely acknowledge that this particular incident had a tremendous impact to the community of Conyers and surrounding areas," said Vincent.
What's next:
While the CSB is not a regulatory agency and cannot issue fines or citations, it can make safety recommendations to Biolab and similar companies. Those recommendations aim to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Investigators say they hope to complete their final report by early next year.