A chemical plant fire in Rockdale County, Georgia, led to a massive plume of smoke and chemical contamination on Sunday, leading officials to ask approximately 17,000 people to evacuate the area.
According to CNN, the fire started at roughly 5 a.m. on the roof of BioLab, a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia. The outlet reported that county officials said water from a malfunctioned sprinkler head “came in contact with a water reactive chemical and produced a plume.”
In a video message on Facebook, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett confirmed the fire started on the chemical plant’s roof. While firefighters were initially able to contain the flames, the fire reignited hours later.
Sharing an update regarding the fire, Rockdale County Fire and Rescue Chief Marian McDaniel explained that while the fire was put out at roughly 4 p.m., the smoke from the chemical plant could still be seen from miles away and was continuing to cause problems in the community. McDaniel noted that the smoke could still be visible for multiple days.
Encouraging people to avoid the area, Levett warned, “This is not the time to do any type of sightseeing. We are strongly encouraging everyone, no matter where you’re coming from, but especially Rockdale residents, to stay out of this area.”
In a Monday press release, Rockdale County officials said state and federal air quality surveys “revealed the harmful irritant chlorine” was being released into the air by the chemical plant. As a result, county residents were “strongly” advised to continue sheltering in place and to keep windows closed and air conditioning units off.
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According to CNN, Sharon Webb, director of Rockdale County’s Emergency Management Agency, said roughly 17,000 people were asked to evacuate on Sunday due to the chemical plant fire. Rockdale County Chairman Oz Nesbitt described the incident as an “all hands on deck” situation in a statement to CNN.
“All of our resources have been dispatched and deployed,” Nesbitt stated. “Every available agency, GEMA, FEMA, everyone is on deck here in Rockdale County, we’re managing this situation as we try to get it under control.”
Nesbitt told CNN that the chemical plant building’s roof suffered a “complete collapse” in Sunday’s fire.
A video of the chemical plant fire and massive plume of smoke was shared Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, by Raws Alerts.
“Currently, a shelter-in-place order and evacuations are underway as numerous hazmat crews and other emergency services respond to a significant fire at the Biolab chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia,” Raws Alerts tweeted. “The plant, which is part of the swimming pool and spa water care division of KIK Consumer Products, is sending a massive plume of thick black and brown toxic smoke over the town and can be seen miles away.”
