‘There's chemical smoke everywhere.’ Hear the 911 call as employee reports the Sept. 29 BioLab fire

Newly released 911 calls and dispatch notes from the Sept. 29 BioLab fire in Conyers, east of Atlanta, offer a closer look at the early hours of the chemical fire that forced 17,000 evacuations and weeks of shelter-in-place orders.

Shortly after 5 a.m., a BioLab employee called 911 to report a burst sprinkler and chemical smoke spreading through Plant 12, a massive warehouse storing hazardous pool treatment chemicals.

“The sprinkler head broke and there’s smoke everywhere,” the employee said during the call. "There’s chemical smoke everywhere."

The employee, one of only two people on-site at the time, told dispatch they hadn’t been able to reach their colleague.

“Were you able to make contact with your partner?” the dispatcher asked. 

“No, I need to put my respirator on to go back inside and get him,” the employee responded. 

The dispatch operator can be heard trying to get the employees to the responding fire and rescue crew on the way on the scene.

Firefighters arrived to find near-zero visibility inside Plant 12. Notes from dispatch show responders heading inside the building, requiring self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) to protect against the toxic fumes. The rescue workers had to rotate frequently due to fatigue and the conditions. Some first responders reported “facial skin irritation” while sitting in their patrol units. 

Calls from dispatch to first responders were also obtained. During one call, dispatch and a first responder can be heard joking about the frequency of incidents at the chemical plant.

“One of the workers called and said there was chemical smoke in the building,” the dispatcher said. “Apparently, there is heavy smoke in the area, so they’re shutting everything down.”

“It’s always ‘FireLab,’ right?” the dispatcher joked.

The September fire created a plume that released chemicals into the air, triggering evacuations and school closures for several days.

Federal investigators released a preliminary report on the fire in November. Their investigation is ongoing.

BioLab said in a statement that it remains committed to understanding the causes of the incident and to “making things right for impacted area residents and business owners.”