Georgia environmental official collapses and dies near state Capitol after testifying about toxic BioLab fire

A Georgia environmental official died after suddenly collapsing near the state Capitol on Tuesday during a public meeting on last month’s toxic chemical plant inferno outside Atlanta, officials said.Kenny Johnson, the Rockdale County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, testified alongside business owners and leaders about the BioLab chemical fire in Conyers, about 25 miles outside Atlanta, which spewed clouds of hazardous chlorine gas and smoke throughout the area.Shortly afterward, the 62-year-old collapsed and was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died.The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said that due to the circumstances of Johnson’s death, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has agreed to investigate, 11Alive reported.An official cause of death will be determined once an autopsy is completed.After delivering his remarks, Johnson “complained of shortness of breath and subsequently collapsed in the hallway” after the meeting, according to a statement from the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.State Rep.Viola Davis, a nurse by profession, administered CPR while waiting for EMS to arrive.“Kenny dedicated years as the Soil and Water Conservation District representative and as an environmental justice advocate,” Davis said.

“His unwavering commitment to environmental justice and his testimony on the effects of the Biolab chemical fire on the community remain etched in our memories.”Johnson was one of a growing number of local Georgia officials and lawmakers calling for BioLab to shut its doors after the fire forced 17,000 to evacuate the area and around 90,000 more to shelter in place as the toxic plume spread.“I knew that this was going to happen,” Johnson told reporters Monday.“We have an environmental disaster.”The blaze erupted on Sept.

29 — just days after Hurricane Helene decimated the community — when a malfunctioning fire sprinkler head sprayed water on volatile chemicals, sparking a chain reaction t...