**Federal Authorities Release Update on BioLab Chemical Plant Fires Near Atlanta**

Federal investigators have provided new details on the investigation into the fires that erupted on September 29 at the BioLab chemical plant in Conyers, near Atlanta. The resulting toxic chemical cloud led to significant disruption as local residents were instructed to shelter in place.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released a report detailing the incident, focusing on the BioLab plant, which manufactures chemicals used to kill algae and bacteria in swimming pools and hot tubs. BioLab is a subsidiary of KIK Consumer Products, based in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

According to the report, a BioLab employee on fire watch duty reported hearing a "popping sound" around 5 a.m. while exiting the breakroom for a routine check. The employee discovered a product reactive to water had become wet and called for assistance. Despite not initially seeing flames, the fire watch employee attempted to isolate the product and contacted emergency services when toxic vapor plumes began forming inside the warehouse.

By 6:30 a.m., flames were visible through the roof, prompting a shelter-in-place order around 7:40 a.m. Rockdale County firefighters managed to extinguish the initial blaze within 30 minutes. However, a second fire ignited around noon, producing thick black smoke and multicolor plumes. This led to evacuations in the nearby area starting at 12:30 p.m., and the fire was extinguished by 4 p.m.

The fires caused sections of the Plant 12 warehouse, which covered an area larger than five football fields, to collapse. The facility itself was ultimately destroyed. For nearly four weeks, the site remained an active emergency response scene. The facility's adjacent Interstate 20 was closed from shortly before 1 p.m. on the day of the fire until about 7 a.m. the next day, with smaller nearby roads and a two-mile radius under shelter-in-place orders expiring on October 17.

BioLab had implemented a permanent fire watch two or three months before the incident due to strong oxidizer odors detected in two storage buildings, including Plant 12. The smoke from the fires drifted toward Atlanta, creating a chlorine-smelling haze affecting the city and surrounding areas.

In the aftermath, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed related to the fire.