Repairs to the Fulton County Jail's kitchen took a step forward and then a step back over the weekend, extending the facility's closure to a full week with no timetable for it to return to full operation.
Several repairs have uncovered new problems since a carbon monoxide (CO) leak sickened six contractors last Monday. Investigators from Atlanta Fire Rescue discovered the CO leak that caused the initial incident in one of the facility's eight commercial steam kettles, then found another leak in a second kettle the next day. That led to the discovery of multiple natural gas line leaks, according to the Fulton Sheriff's Office.
Repairs were delayed last week as crews were waiting for parts to arrive for some kettle exhaust fans, according to the sheriff's office. In an update on Monday, the sheriff's office said technicians discovered over the weekend that the exhaust fans were beyond repair. They are now waiting for replacement fans to arrive and be installed.
The natural gas service to two kitchen appliances remains off, but power has been restored to the rest of the facility, the sheriff's office said. Air conditioning has been restored in the kitchen, a water heater was replaced in the south annex of the Union City Jail Friday afternoon, and an unrelated issue has been resolved.
The sheriff's office said Monday that the jail's kitchen still has three working water heaters and needs at least four for the facility to be fully operational. Kitchen staff are using a nearby elementary school to continue serving a limited selection of hot meals to jail inmates. A representative for Atlanta Public Schools declined to say how help would continue with students starting the new school year in just a week.
The sheriff's office did not provide a timeline for when the jail's kitchen will return to normal operations.
