Fulton Jail Kitchen Still Closed After Carbon Monoxide Detection

ATLANTA, GA — A week later, the kitchen at the Fulton County Jail's Rice Street facility still remains out of commission after a gas leak caused it to shut down and prompted staff to explore other options for feeding inmates.

As of Monday, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office said it continued to utilize a kitchen at an Atlanta public school to prepare meals for inmates since its own kitchen was not operational after a carbon monoxide detection on July 15.

Staff members are being fed meals from catering companies, authorities said.

Although authorities said Friday three of its eight kettles were working, they are not being used due to needed repairs of a vent hood.

Four total kettles must be work in order for them to be considered fully operational, authorities said. They are then used to prepare between 8,000-11,000 daily meals, authorities said.

Unable to be repaired, the exhaust fans that power the vent hood now need replacing. The sheriff's office said it is awaiting replacements.

Gas Leak Continues To Shut Down Fulton Co. Jail Kitchen: Sheriff

"The plan for today is to relocate two of the working kettles to an area of the kitchen where the vent hoods are working as a temporary solution," authorities said Monday in a news release.

Gas was turned on in the entire kitchen, excluding two pieces of equipment needed to be repaired, authorities said. Air conditioning in the area has been restored.

"This leak is yet another example of the challenges caused by an aging, underfunded jail with infrastructure problems that have led to other resident health issues and stabbings with weapons fashioned from parts of the building," authorities said in a past news release.

Authorities previously reported hot water at its South Annex facility in Union City went out around 5:45 p.m. Thursday. On Monday, authorities said the hot water tank has since been replaced and hot water has been restored.

The sheriff's office governs facilities at Rice Street, the Alpharetta Annex, the South Annex, the Marietta Jail and Grady Hospital, according to its jail report.