Fulton County Jail kitchen still down as exhaust fans await repairs

July 17th, 2024

A hand presses against the cell window inside a dorm at the Fulton County Jail. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

This story was updated at 5:02 p.m.

The Fulton County Jail will use an elementary school kitchen to prepare hot meals for detainees for “the foreseeable future” after a gas leak left the facility without working kettles and a mix of other issues.

According to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, while the gas is back on at the jail now, the exhaust fans above the kettles aren’t working. Crews are sourcing the parts needed to repair them, but it’s unclear when they’ll arrive.

In the meantime, crews are working to test two of the eight kettles that were emitting high levels of carbon monoxide. The kettles are used to prepare close to 8,000 to 11,000 meals every day, depending on the inmate population.

A gas leak at the Fulton County Jail on Rice Street has been traced to at least two of the eight kettles in the kitchen. The leak was discovered Monday, July 15. (Courtesy of Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Data from the sheriff’s office shows approximately 1,620 people are reportedly occupying the Rice Street jail.

Natalie Ammons, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told WABE on Thursday detainees had been eating sandwiches for all their meals since the leak was discovered and the kitchen shut down Monday night.

Staff later provided additional items like coleslaw, fruit, cereal and cinnamon rolls.

The leak does not seem to have affected any other areas of the jail, according to the sheriff’s office. However, exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide caused at least two kitchen workers to go to the hospital, and 15 underwent a medical evaluation at the jail.

The sheriff’s office said the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department also found natural gas leaking from the supply line to a stovetop and the regulator to the gas line leading to the building was faulty as of Wednesday.

Atlanta Gas Light was onsite at some point to determine if the regulator can be repaired or needs to be replaced.

It’s unclear when the kitchen will be fully operational again.

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat walks through the halls during a tour of the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Ga on Friday, July 12. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

On Wednesday, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said that in the past three years, 1,000 work orders have been submitted for issues with the kitchen alone. The air conditioning has also been out since April.

“When we are responsible for feeding thousands of residents a day, our inability to continue work in our kitchen for a 24/7 operation is problematic,” Labat said. “Until we get a replacement facility, problems in the kitchen and rest of the building will continue to cripple our capability to properly serve our resident population and overall keep our residents and staff safe.”

The sheriff has advocated for a new jail since taking office in 2021.

The leak occurred less than a week after the county commission voted 4-3 to renovate the existing facility instead of going with a total replacement.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Khadijah Abdur-Rahman, who voted for a new request for proposals, said while she initially supported the idea for a new jail, she backtracked after hearing from opposing residents.

“The reality that sunk in very quickly — and it sunk in — is that we do not have public support for a new jail,” Abdur-Rahman said. “We have support for alternatives. We have public support to do something, because we have had several deaths in that jail.”

Ten people died while in custody at the Fulton County Jail in 2023, and three have died so far this year. The facility also remains under federal investigation for its overcrowding and dangerous conditions.