Thousands of people are under a shelter-in-place order after a major fire broke out at a chemical lab in Georgia.
The captured footage shows massive clouds of smoke saturating the sky in Conyers, Georgia, after a fire ignited at BioLab on Old Covington Highway on Sunday, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said.
Around 5am, a sprinkler at the facility malfunctioned and sprayed water on a chemical that sparked an explosion, Atlanta News First reported.
The reaction led to a large, hazardous smoke cloud of smoke that began drifting to the northeast and prompted an evacuation.
This puts added pressure on Georgia’s emergency services as Hurricane Helene swept through the state.
A fire ignited at BioLab on Old Covington Highway in Georgia on Sunday
Around 5am, a sprinkler at the facility malfunctioned and sprayed water on a chemical that sparked an explosion
The malfunction caused a small fire that was contained to the roof of the building before reigniting a few hours later, WSBTV reported.
Authorities are in the process of removing pallets that contained the water-reactive chemical from the building – but it’s still unclear what the chemical was that led to the massive blaze.
There is an evacuation order in effect for anyone between Sigman Road and I-20, county officials said.
Officials stated that anyone in this radius needs to leave the area immediately.
‘I want to strongly ask all of you to please spread the word to stay away from this area at this point,’ Rockdale County Sheriff, Eric Levett, said.
‘It’s burning pretty good. We’re trying to get that under control, but at the same time we’re also trying to get the traffic under control.’
Roads are closed in the area of the blaze with officials blocking off Interstate 20 in both directions between Salem Road and Turner Hill.
The reaction led to a large, hazardous smoke cloud of smoke that began drifting to the northeast and prompted an evacuation
The malfunction caused a small fire that was contained to the roof of the building before reigniting a few hours later
Officials stated that anyone in this radius needs to leave the area immediately
Witnesses in the area described the sky filling with black smoke and ash falling all over their yards and cars
A shelter-in-place order has been put in effect for residents in the north half of the county by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
Residents in the area are encouraged to ‘remain indoors and keep windows closed to minimize exposure to any potential hazards,’ the sheriff’s office said.
Rockdale County Fire Chief, Marian McDaniel, said: ‘Any event, the wind shift, this thing can change really quickly. But once again, shelter in place, windows and doors closed.’
Witnesses in the area described the sky filling with black smoke and ash falling all over their yards and cars.
Church services in the area were advised to cancel their services until further notice.
Services that are actively in session are being told to release and avoid the area.
The sheriff’s office also set up several evacuation sites, including: JP Carr Gym at 90 Hardin St SW, Scout Camp at 218 Scout Road in Covington and Wolverine Gym at 8134 Geiger Street in Covington.
A shelter-in-place order has been put in effect for residents in the north half of the county by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
Authorities are in the process of removing pallets that contained the water-reactive chemical from the building – a process that could take all day
Residents in the area are encouraged to ‘remain indoors and keep windows closed to minimize exposure to any potential hazards,’ the sheriff’s office said
Once the chemical is successfully contained and removed from the building, the situation will be further evaluated and residents will be able to get a clearer answer of when it’ll be safe to return to their homes.
Brad Nitz, a meteorologist for WSBTV, took to X to report that the fire in Rockdale County is being detected on Smoketracker and the southwest wind is blowing the smoke across to Walton County.
Walton County Emergency Management director, Carl Morrow, shared an alert for the county residents, Monroe Local reported.
The alert stated: ‘Walton County EMA is aware of what is happening in our neighboring county of Rockdale. We are monitoring the situation and advise that if you smell a chlorine odor you should turn off your air conditioners, turn on your ceiling fans and if possible bring your outside animals indoors.’
BioLab is a manufacturer of pool and spa treatment products, according to CNN.
As of 4:00pm eastern time, the fire was still ablaze.
This is the second fire within the past decade at the facility. The lab experienced a ‘thermal decomposition event’ that led to a fire in September of 2020.
The building’s warehouse was damaged after strong winds from Hurricane Laura allowed rainwater into the building, which is what started the previous fire, the US Chemical Safety Board found.
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