Bleaching Agent Stored at Louisiana Chemical Plant That Caught Fire, Says U.S. CSB

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

The Bio-Lab chemical plant, owned by KIK Custom Products, manufactures chlorine-based cleaning products.

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

The facility had been shut 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; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)