Repairs to the Fulton County Jail’s kitchen took a step forward and another step backward over the weekend, extending the facility’s shutdown to a full week — with no timetable for returning to full functionality.
Since a carbon monoxide (CO) leak last Monday sickened six contract workers, several repairs have uncovered new issues. Atlanta Fire and Rescue investigators found the CO leak that caused the initial incident in one of the facility’s eight commercial steam kettles, then another leak was found in a second kettle the next day. That led to the discovery of multiple leaky natural gas lines, the Fulton sheriff’s office said.
Repairs were delayed last week as workers waited for parts to be delivered for the vent hood fans over some of the kettles, the sheriff’s office said. In an update Monday, the sheriff’s office said technicians discovered that the exhaust fans were irreparable over the weekend. They are now waiting on replacement fans to be delivered and installed.
Natural gas service remains shut off to two kitchen appliances but has otherwise been restored to the rest of the facility, the sheriff’s office said. The kitchen’s air conditioning has also been restored, and an unrelated issue was resolved at the jail’s South Annex in Union City when that building’s hot water heater was replaced Friday afternoon, according to the agency.
The jail’s kitchen still has only three working kettles, the sheriff’s office said Monday, and at least four are needed for the facility to be considered fully operational. The kitchen staff has continued to use a nearby elementary school to serve a limited menu of hot meals to the jail’s inmates. Representatives for Atlanta Public Schools have not said how the assistance will continue with students returning for a new school year in another week.
The sheriff’s office did not provide a timetable for the jail’s kitchen to return to normal operations.
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