Pool Disinfectant Caught Fire at Louisiana Chemical Plant, U.S. CSB Says

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said on Aug. 31 about 835 tons of a chemical used in swimming pools were stored at the Louisiana plant where a fire had erupted last week in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura.

The Bio-Lab chemical plant, owned by KIK Custom Products, manufactures and stores chlorine-based pool chemicals, the CSB said.

The chemical being produced at the facility was trichloroisocyanuric acid, which by itself is not combustible but increases the combustibility of other substances, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

The facility had been shut down in anticipation of the hurricane and no fatalities or injuries were reported.

CSB said its investigators have yet not been able to enter the area that caught fire.

(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)