CSB: Corrosive Chemicals Were Stored “Without Proper Safeguards” in Facility Destroyed by Fire
On May 23, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released an update (PDF) on the agency’s ongoing investigation into the Sept. 29, 2024, chemical fire that destroyed a Bio-Lab Inc. warehouse in Conyers, Georgia. The incident occurred after corrosive materials stored in the warehouse came in contact with water. Although no injuries were reported in the fire, its plume of toxic smoke led to road closures, the evacuation of 17,000 residents, and shelter-in-place orders affecting 90,000 people in the Atlanta metropolitan area. CSB is still investigating the source of the water that triggered the incident. The agency has found evidence of recurrent corrosion in the facility’s fire protection system and repeated failures in the sprinkler system, CSB’s news release states.
According to documents obtained by CSB, Bio-Lab anticipated in 2019 that the warehouse would store about 6.2 million pounds of corrosive chemicals, such as trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA), sodium dichloroisocyanurate (DCCA), DCCA dihydrate, and bromine or bromochloro-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (BCDMH). By September 2024, this inventory had grown to about 13.9 million pounds of various formulations of TCCA, DCCA, and BCDMH stored in large bulk bags, or “super sacks,” each of which held roughly 2,750 pounds of material. Rather than being stored separately, these super sacks were stored in piles in large racks alongside other dry chemicals.
At about 5 a.m. on Sept. 29, 2024, a Bio-Lab employee reported a loud “popping” noise, as well as heat and smoke near the warehouse floor, indicating that reactive chemicals had encountered water. This employee alerted other personnel and called emergency services. When the responders arrived, they observed “significant volumes of water” flowing from the building, suggesting the sprinkler system had activated, CSB reported. The facility was evacuated at approximately 6 a.m.
Flames appeared on the roof and inside the warehouse about 30 minutes later. This fire was quickly suppressed using minimal water to avoid worsening the chemical reaction. Around noon, a second, larger fire erupted, which produced “thick, multicolored smoke and small explosions as unstable chemicals reacted violently,” according to CSB. The warehouse began to collapse around 12:40 p.m., and by 8 p.m. most of its roof and walls had fallen. Firefighting and emergency response operations continued into the night. Emergency responders and Bio-Lab staff were able to safely remove only a small amount of material from the warehouse before conditions became too dangerous.
“The more we learn about this unacceptable incident, the more disturbing it is,” said CSB Chairperson Steve Owens. “This is a stark reminder of the very serious dangers that can occur when enormous amounts of reactive and corrosive chemicals are stored without proper safeguards in place.”
More information is available in CSB’s news release.
