FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Five contract employees were treated and another was hospitalized following a carbon monoxide leak at the Fulton County Jail, according to the sheriff's office.
The leak started Monday night at the jail, located at 901 Rice St NW. Atlanta Fire Rescue said crews detected the carbon monoxide in the jail's kitchen. Firefighters responded, shut down the gas to the kitchen appliances, and ventilated the room with giant fans and the kitchen's exhaust system, according to fire officials.
"Our crews advised maintenance to have the gas service fully assessed and repaired, including the cooking appliances," Atlanta Fire said in a statement.
The sheriff's office said all of the kitchen workers, including contractors and employees, are ok.
"While carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, employees started exhibiting nausea and other symptoms, triggering the immediate evacuation of the kitchen," Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said in a news release.
According to the sheriff's office, a private contractor said the leak didn't appear to affect any other areas of the jail.
The source of the carbon monoxide leak was traced to one of the eight kettles in the jail's kitchen.
As of 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the sheriff's office said six of the eight kettles in the kitchen are still down.
"The kitchen needs at least four working kettles to prepare close to 8,000 meals daily, sometimes as many as 11,000 meals, depending on the population," the sheriff's office added.
The sheriff's office said the jail had some food prepared ahead of time, but there is no estimated time when the kitchen will be fully operational again.
This is the latest in a series of controversial issues surrounding the jail's conditions that have plagued the facility for years.
Last week, Fulton County commissioners abandoned plans to build a new county jail and opted to renovate the facility instead.
Labat spoke last Friday about the decision, arguing that a new jail, and not just renovations, is urgent.
"This project is really putting a band-aid on open-heart surgery," Labat said last week at a press conference.
During that press conference, Labat addressed overcrowding issues at the jail, which have been ongoing for decades.
"We were overcrowded the day the building opened, in the 80s," Labat said.
Labat also spoke about the living conditions of those detained at the jail.
"When you treat people less than humans, that's what you get," Labat said. "If you treat people and give them the resources, they act accordingly."
Rewatch Labat's full press conference from last week below:
News happens fast. Download our 11Alive News app for all the latest breaking updates, and sign up for our Speed Feed newsletter to get a rundown of the latest headlines across north Georgia.