BioLab is the swimming pool and spa water care division of KIK Consumer Products, based in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Conyers facility
BioLab’s Conyers, Georgia, facility opened in 1973.
2004 fire
On May 25, 2004, a warehouse containing pool chemicals caught fire, causing the evacuation of an area close to a mile downwind and the shutdown of Interstate 20 for several hours. The effect of the plume was felt more than 50 miles away.
The Environmental Protection Agency responded and performed air monitoring on the ground and in the air. The information was supplied to the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency director to increase or decrease the evacuation area.
The fire was extinguished by the morning of May 26, 2004. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division monitored the water runoff from the firefighting operation and found it impacted the nearby VFW Lake.
2020 plume
In September 2020, the CSB investigated a chemical reaction and decomposition at the facility. The reaction released a plume of hazardous chemicals, including chlorine, which exposed BioLab personnel and nine firefighters to dangerous fumes.
Surrounding businesses were evacuated, and a portion of Interstate 20 was closed for six hours. The probe was conducted in conjunction with the agency’s investigation of a chemical release and fire at the BioLab facility in Westlake, Louisiana, in August 2020.
2024 fire
At about 5:30 am on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, Rockdale County Fire Rescue responded to a roof fire at Biolab. The building at Biolab contained chlorine compounds, a water-reactive chemical resulting in a plume.
County, state and federal authorities responded to the incident, including local first responders from neighboring counties, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Georgia Emergency Management and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
As many as 17,000 people in the area evacuated due to the fire, and 90,000 others east of Atlanta were advised to shelter in place following thr fire and resulting plume.
Westlake, Louisiana
In Westlake, Louisiana, in August 2020, a chemical reaction and decomposition started a fire at a BioLab facility, releasing a large plume of hazardous gases, including toxic chlorine, into the air. A million pounds of trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) were on-site at the Bio-Lab Lake Charles facility.
As the Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall, its strong winds damaged buildings at the facility, including tearing off roofs. Rainwater from the storm contacted the TCCA stored inside the buildings, initiating a chemical reaction and subsequent decomposition.
The heat initiated a fire. A large plume of hazardous gases, including toxic chlorine, traveled from the facility.
A portion of nearby Interstate 10 was closed for over 28 hours, and local officials issued a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding community due to the release of hazardous gases.
This article incorporates public domain information from various governmental agencies.
