BIOLAB FIRE: US Senators, Georgia Rep. push for updates on fire investigation in Rockdale County

CONYERS, Ga. — U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Rep. Hank Johnson are pressing KIK Consumer Products, the owner of the BioLab facility in Conyers, Ga. to provide updates on their investigation into the September fire.

The fire incident, which started on Sept. 29, 2024 and impacted families in Rockdale County and across the metro Atlanta area, led to 17,000 evacuations, multiple interstate closures and several shelter-in-place orders as chemical smoke continued to rise from the facility and spread across the region.

Now, Ossoff, Warnock and Johnson are pushing KIK to improve the transparency of the investigation into the fire’s cause and health impacts, as well as to extend the deadline for Georgians to submit reimbursement claims to KIK for the damage.

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A November report by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said the plant had “experienced a chemical reaction involving material stored in a warehouse, which resulted in multiple fires, extensive off-gassing, and a massive plume of potentially toxic smoke.”

In the wake of that reaction, large plumes of smoke and toxic vapors prompted “shelter-in-place orders, evacuations, and road closures. Ultimately, the warehouse was completely destroyed,” according to the report, though no injuries were reported at the site during or after the incident.

Citing the response of KIK to the BioLab fire, and their stated “desire to ‘address the needs of the impacted area residents and business owners,’” Ossoff, Warnock and Johnson said that they want specific information about the efforts to do that, having been three months since the fire.

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The most recent update from KIK on the BioLab response said they’ve stopped accepting claims from the incident.

As of Dec. 11, BioLab said they’d responded to more than 29,000 calls and 9,000 emails, as well as helping 4,000 people who came in person to their Community Assistance Center in Conyers. 20 days later, no more claims could be filed.

“Reflecting the steady decrease in the volume of incoming new claims, BioLab is no longer accepting new claims through its community-assistance programs as of December 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET,” according to a company site.

The Georgia lawmakers said that while the efforts are appreciated, “Rockdale County residents remain uncertain about your company’s long-term commitment to their well-being, particularly in light of your decision to set a December 31 deadline for families to submit reimbursement claims.”

As a result, the three elected officials are asking for responses to the following questions:

1. Will you commit to publicly releasing the results of any debris testing you conducted, and work with relevant State and Federal agencies to assist the public in interpreting those results, to assuage the long-term health concerns expressed by local families?
2. Please provide the following reimbursement request data:
1. The total reimbursement requests your company received from local residents.
2. The percentage of those requests have been approved.
3. The number of requests currently pending.
4. The average processing time for reimbursement requests.
5. The total dollar amount of the reimbursement requests approved since September 29.
3. Will you consider extending by 90 days the deadline for families to submit reimbursement claims to allow for submissions until March 31, 2025?

The lawmakers set a Jan. 17 deadline for those answers.

Responding to a request for comment from Channel 2 Action News, a company spokesperson for BioLab provided the following statement:

“We have received and are reviewing the latest letter from Senators Ossoff and Warnock and Representative Johnson, and we look forward to continuing our constructive engagement. BioLab remains focused on the completion of clean-up efforts at the site, and has continued to advance a variety of community support initiatives to assist impacted area residents and business owners. This included standing up dedicated community resources, including a call center, an in-person community assistance center, and website – through which it has regularly provided updates and facilitated a claims intake process. During the claims intake period, which concluded at year-end following a steady decrease in the volume of incoming new claims through BioLab’s community resources, the company responded to tens of thousands of calls and emails, as well as assisted thousands of individuals at its in-person center, helping with claims, reimbursement requests, and more. BioLab will continue its community engagement and looks forward to continuing to work constructively with the relevant authorities, regulators, and elected officials.”

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