Officials are now in the Atlanta area following a chemical plant fire east of Georgia's capital city that detected “hazardous and irritating chlorine” in the air Monday and forced the evacuation of more than 90,000 residents. It was reported that there was a strong chemical odor.
of Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency The agency announced this morning that it is continuing to investigate “numerous reports of haze and strong chemical odors throughout Fulton County, possibly related to the BioLab fire” that occurred in Conyers on Sunday. . According to the company's website, BioLab is a company that manufactures pool chemicals.
“We are aware of the incident in Conyers, Georgia and are working diligently to ensure the safety of people in and around Atlanta,” Mayor Andre Dickens wrote to X. “Atlanta Fire Department and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are conducting rescue operations” Air Quality Control Check. ”
Rockdale County government, where Conyers is located, issued a warning to residents on Monday after tests by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Department of Environmental Protection found the presence of “hazardous irritant chlorine in the atmosphere emitted by the earth.” was ordered to evacuate to the spot. Biolab crime scene. ”
BioLab factory fire: Georgia residents evacuated as toxic smoke billows from chemical fuel inferno
On Sunday, September 29th, a large plume of smoke rises above a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia. (Alvarez Kennedy/Reuters)
The fire at the BioLab factory broke out around 5 a.m. Sunday and was extinguished late that afternoon. At that point, a cloud of smoke was seen rising from the facility, and some residents were ordered to evacuate. Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said a sprinkler head at the facility failed, creating a “mixture with water-reactive chemicals.”
“Based on information received from the Environmental Protection Division and the Department of Environmental Protection, Rockdale County Emergency Management strongly recommends that all Rockdale County residents continue to shelter in place.” This was announced by Rockdale County Government. “Additionally, in the best interest and safety of the public and all citizens, businesses are encouraged to close until the shelter-in-place order is lifted.
“For everyone sheltering in place, the best thing to do is to turn off the air conditioning and keep windows and doors closed,” it added.
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The fire broke out Sunday morning at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia. (Ian Stinson, via Storyful)
BioLab did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Monday.
“Our top priority is ensuring the safety of our community, and our teams are working around the clock to respond to the ongoing situation at our Conyers, Georgia facility,” the company said on its website. said. “We continue to work with first responders and local authorities, and have brought specialized teams from outside the state to the scene to augment and support their efforts. We are all committed to remediating the situation as quickly as possible.” I’m focused on doing that.”
Officials said Monday that chlorine was detected in the air near the scene of the BioLab factory fire in Conyers, Georgia. (Ian Stinson, via Storyful)
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Mayor Dickens wrote to X that “no warnings or advisories have been issued at this time” in Atlanta.
FOX News' Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
