CONYERS, Ga. (WANF/Gray News) – A fire at a chemical facility in Georgia prompted orders for many nearby residents to evacuate and others to shelter in place.
Around 5 a.m., a sprinkler at a BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, malfunctioned and sprayed water on a chemical, causing a reaction that created a large, hazardous plume, which then began drifting to the northeast, according to Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel.
The malfunction also caused a small fire on the BioLab roof, which was contained, McDaniel said.
The fire later reignited in the afternoon causing a huge plume of smoke to billow from the plant. That fire prompted an evacuation order for anyone between I-20 and Sigman Road, according to Rockdale County officials.
Officials said I-20 is blocked off in both directions between Salem Road and Turner Hill Road. The Georgia State Patrol was called in to help with traffic control.
Rockdale County officials requested assistance from other agencies, many of which are now deployed across the state of Georgia responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The Georgia Department of Transportation also reported a “major hazardous materials fire” on Dogwood Drive at Blacklawn Road, near the BioLab location Sunday afternoon.
Evacuation sites were set up in the nearby city of Covington, Georgia, after the original evacuation site was also evacuated.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency has issued a shelter-in-place order on behalf of the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency for residents in the north half of Rockdale County, above Sigman Road. Those residents should remain indoors with the windows and doors closed, and should turn off their air conditioners.
County officials said Sunday afternoon that those who don’t leave the evacuation zone need to shelter in place. Officials said anyone south of I-20 should be safe.
The county also called on all churches to cancel services today, for churches already in session to disperse immediately, and for attendees to not travel through the affected areas.
The fire at the plant reignited as officials were working to remove the water-reactive chemical from BioLab to stop any further reaction, which McDaniel said requires heavy equipment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is conducting air monitoring to determine what the chemical is.
County officials said employees were at the facility at the time of the early morning incident, but no injuries have been reported.
Officials said there’s currently no timeframe on ending the shelter-in-place order. Officials do not currently have an estimate on the number of people evacuated.
BioLab is described on its website as a “swimming pool and spa water care division of KIK Consumer Products, based in Lawrenceville, Georgia.”
“We are actively investigating an incident at our BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia. Our employees are accounted for with no injuries reported. Our team is on the scene, working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation. As always, the safety of our community remains our top priority,” KIK Consumer Products said in a statement to WANF.
A fire broke out at the same location in 2004, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A similar incident reportedly happened at the facility in 2020. According to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the “thermal decomposition” of a product containing chlorine happened there on Sept. 14, 2020.
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