Atlanta residents report chemical odor from Conyers Plant fire.
A shelter-in-place order for all of Georgia’s Rockdale County has been extended indefinitely, authorities announced Monday morning after a fire at the BioLab plant.
The presence of chlorine has been confirmed by Federal EPA and state EPD testing, according to a spokesperson for Rockdale County. What, if any, other chemicals might be involved has not been detailed yet.
According to an official alert sent out by text to residents by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, “LOCAL AREA EMERGENCY due to ROCKDALE COUNTY BIOLAB FIRE. The EPA is MONITORING air quality for CHLORINE AND RELATED COMPOUNDS. Chemical levels are UNLIKELY TO CAUSE HARM TO MOST PEOPLE.”
Here’s what we know so far:
A fire at a chemical plant in Rockdale County sent a colossal plume of smoke into the sky Sunday as onlookers shared photos and videos of the scene to social media.
The fire at BioLab, a chemical facility on Old Covington Road in Conyers, led to the evacuation order of about 17,000 people and several road closures, including I-20, on Sunday afternoon. The interstate reopened by Monday morning, but several roads remain closed, and the smoke — now a chemical reaction and not a fire — will remain visible for several days.
