Not replacing corroded sprinklers to blame for massive 2024 BioLab fire, final report finds

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The massive chemical fire at the BioLab facility in Conyers could have been prevented if the plant had prevented sprinkler system leaks, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) said in the final report on the fire.

The fire happened in September 2024 when water leaked from a corroded sprinkler onto highly reactive pool treatment chemicals in the plant’s warehouse, resulting in a toxic plume that drifted over metro Atlanta.

“Had Bio-Lab Conyers taken steps to proactively prevent sprinkler system leaks instead of allowing the system to run to failure, the incident likely would not have occurred,” the board said in its report, which was released Tuesday.

CSB’s investigation found that parts of the plant’s sprinkler system had been experiencing “significant” corrosion and had been leaking when the plant began storing the materials in the warehouse in 2019. In a December 2023 inspection, more than 1,000 sprinkler heads in the warehouse were found to be corroded, according to CSB.

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Soon after the fire, the board found that the chemical reaction that created the hazardous plume generated heat, which led to “decomposition and the release of toxic vapors.”

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT

Rockdale County officials previously said a sprinkler malfunctioned and sprayed water onto the chemical, causing the reaction that created the plume.

The fire happened in late September 2024. The large chemical plume drifted across parts of metro Atlanta, triggering public safety actions and a prolonged cleanup.

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“The conditions and circumstances at the Bio-Lab Conyers warehouse were completely unacceptable,” said Steve Owens, CSB chairperson. “There were nearly 14 million pounds of reactive chemicals stored in the warehouse without proper safeguards in place. These hazardous chemicals were packaged in roughly 5,000 giant sacks, each weighing more than a ton, and some of them were stacked in such a way in the warehouse that responders were not able to keep the initial situation from developing into a catastrophic fire and massive plume of toxic smoke that put thousands of people potentially at risk.”

When the fire happened, roughly 17,000 people near the facility had to be evacuated, and tens of thousands of others were ordered to shelter in place for several days.