Interstate is closed outside Atlanta as residents evacuate due to a chemical plant fire

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CONYERS, Ga. (AP) — Some residents were evacuated east of Atlanta while others were told to shelter in place Sunday to avoid pollutants from a chemical plant fire that sent a huge plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could be seen from miles away.

Interstate 20 was closed in both directions in the area, the Georgia Department of Transportation said in a post on X. Reports stated that traffic was disrupted with vehicles parked in the area after the closure.

The fire broke out when the sprinkler head malfunctioned about 5 a.m. Sunday at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters. The defect caused the water to mix with a chemical reacting with the water, producing a plume of chemicals.

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McDaniel said there are employees inside the plant but no injuries have been reported at this time, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The newspaper said that the rising cloud of smoke was visible Sunday afternoon 30 miles (50 kilometers) away at Atlanta International Airport, south of the city. She added that no injuries were immediately reported.

“Once we can get this chemical out of the building and let it burn, we’ll be in much better shape,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel said she wasn’t sure what chemicals might be in the plume.

BioLab’s website says it is the pool and spa water care division of Kik Consumer Products in Lawrenceville, Georgia. An automated message to the phone number on the parent company’s website indicating a call back during business hours.

“We are actively responding to an incident at our facility in Conyers, Georgia,” a BioLab representative said in a statement provided to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Our employees have been accounted for with no injuries reported. Our team is on scene and working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation.

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A small fire on the roof of the plant was initially contained, but it reignited Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Eric Leavitt said in a video posted on Facebook, as gray smoke billowed into the sky behind him. He added that the authorities are trying to control the fire and urged people to stay away from the area.

People in the northern part of Rockdale County, north of Interstate 20, were ordered to evacuate, and others were told to shelter in place with windows and doors closed. Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Christine Nesbitt did not know how many people were evacuated although it covered a large portion of the Conyers community.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Department of Environmental Protection were on the scene, county Emergency Management Director Sharon Webb said. Agencies are monitoring the air “to give us more of an idea of ​​what the plume is made of.”

Crews are working to remove the chemical from the building away from the water source, McDaniel said. She added that once the product is contained, the situation will be assessed and officials will tell residents whether it is safe to return to their homes.

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