ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — BioLab officials were once again a no-show during a Monday afternoon news conference in Rockdale County as a chemical plume continued off-gassing into the air.
Melisa Mims, the Executive Director of Public Relations for Rockdale County, told 11Alive that BioLab was "requested and expected" to provide information at the press conferences but declined.
“Biolab has been invited to three of the four press conferences," Mims added.
RELATED: Conyers chemical plume | Shelter-in-place lifted for most of county except for those within 2-mile radius of facility
11Alive reached out to the crisis communication team handling PR for Biolab, but as of Monday night, there has been no response on why they did not appear.
During Monday’s news conference, Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt Sr. said that they have crews on the ground at the scene trying to get the situation completely under control.
“We still have a crisis, so we’re still in the middle of crisis management," Nesbitt Sr. said.
BioLab has not confirmed how the fire started in its 275,000 square foot warehouse on the morning of Sept. 29. However, Rockdale County Fire said it was a malfunctioning sprinkler head that released water onto chlorine stored in the warehouse, which caused a chemical reaction that sparked the fire.
“We’re working with very hazardous materials,” Rick Jardine with the Environmental Protection Agency explained during the news conference
Jardine said, “It’s an uncontrolled chemical, so they’re not in containers, they’re not in the building, we can’t shut the doors.”
The intensity of the fire caused the roof of the large facility to collapse and the walls to fall in which trapped the chemicals underneath.
Biolab hasn’t confirmed all the materials that were being stored in the warehouse but stated:
“These raw materials include Trichlor (TCCA), a chemical commonly used to make Chlorinated Tablets to treat swimming pools to kill bacteria and algae, and Dichlor (DCCA), used to make swimming pool shock. Other raw materials stored are used to produce products for swimming pool and spa maintenance, such as water balance, pH control and water clarity.”
On Monday, at the suggestion of the EPA due to air quality concerns, Rockdale County issued a shelter-in-place for a two mile radius around the facility until further notice.
This past Friday, the Rockdale County Sheriff wrote a letter to businesses immediately around the facility in the area of Blacklawn Road and Olympic Court to remain closed due to the off-gassing still happening at the facility. The letter indicated the amount of chlorine in the air is unsafe for long-term exposure.
The county issued a mandatory evacuation for the same area on Monday after the EPA said several businesses tried to reopen their doors.
RELATED: BioLab launching 'resource website' and community assistance center a week after chemical plume disaster
Several business owners showed up to Monday's news conference frustrated and demanding answers from county officials.
“They need to know how long they’re going to be shut down and not be able to access their businesses. That’s a priority," a resident said.
Last week, 11Alive spoke to the owner of Service Master by Lovejoy. Chris Lovejoy's restoration business is across the street from the BioLab facility, and he said authorities won't let him access his equipment. He’s celebrating his 25th anniversary but said he’s worried this disaster may cripple his business.
He, like many others, says they’re frustrated by the lack of information coming from BioLab.
One concern is the close relationship between the company and Rockdale County. The business has had several incidents, including a massive fire in 2004 inside a 260,000-square-foot warehouse where close to 125 tons of dry chlorine pellets were being stored.
Several people were hospitalized, and it also prompted an evacuation.
BioLab has remained one of the county’s top ten employers.
In 2019, the current county chairman, along with other county leaders and BioLab, posed for a picture at the groundbreaking of the facility that is now at the center of this disaster.
At that time, it was announced that the county had provided BioLab with a ten-year property tax break to secure the project.
Now, five years later, this project is destroyed, and the site where chlorine gas is being emitted has impacted communities across metro Atlanta.
As of Monday afternoon, Chairman Nesbitt admitted they don’t know how long this is going to take to get under control.
“We cannot give you false hope or box us into a certain amount of time. I would love to say this would be over tomorrow or the next day, but we’re not at that point,” he said.
The chairman was questioned about the relationship with BioLab and how that could play on the future of the business but he declined to specifically comment.
Mims wrote in an email to 11Alive, “Currently, our number one concern and priority is the health and safety of Rockdale County.”