More than 90,000 Georgia residents were forced to shelter in place after a massive fire at a chemical plant generated a very tall plume of smoke… that could easily be seen from miles away.
While about 17,000 residents were evacuated from the area, countless others were urged to stay home, close windows and doors and turn off air conditioning… given the state of air quality following Sunday’s fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers , Georgia.
Rockdale County government said the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Division of Environmental Protection “revealed that irritating and harmful chlorine” was detected in the air after the fire … which was reportedly sparked by a faulty sprinkler head.
According to Rockdale County Fire Chief Mariana McDanielThe fire started around 5 a.m. Sunday when water mixed with a water-reactive chemical at the plant.
Both the fire chief and BioLab — the pool and spa water care division of KIK Consumer Products — said there were no injuries in the fire … even though employees were inside the plant at the time of the fire.
The malfunction grew into a cloud of fire… which you can see in the harrowing video above, and prompted authorities to shut down Interstate 20 all day Sunday.
The highway reopened Monday morning… however, roads in surrounding areas still remain closed.
The fire itself was contained by late Sunday afternoon, with the company noting that it is working closely with first responders and local authorities.
We’re sure more developments are coming… so stay tuned.