14 million pounds of chemicals? FIRE in 2024 worse than thought

 GEORGIA- 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.”