A few residents east of Atlanta were evacuated while others were told to take shelter in place to avoid contact with a chemical plume following a fire at a chemical plant.
Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters that a sprinkler head malfunctioned around 5 a.m. Sunday at the BioLab facility in Conyers. It caused water to mix with a water-reactive chemical, producing a plume of chemicals. The manager said she wasn’t sure what chemicals were included.
A small roof fire was initially extinguished, but ignited Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Eric Levett said in a news release video posted on Facebook as gray smoke billowed into the sky behind him. He said authorities were trying to bring the fire under control and urged people to stay away from the area.
People in the northern part of Rockdale County were ordered to evacuate and others were asked to shelter in place with windows and doors closed. Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Christine Nesbitt did not know how many people were evacuated.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division were both on the scene, county emergency management director Sharon Webb said. Authorities are monitoring the air “to give us more of an idea of what the plume is made of.”
McDaniel said crews were working to remove the chemical from the building, away from the water source. Once the product is contained, the situation will be assessed and officials will let residents know if it is safe to return to their homes, she said.
An evacuation center was opened at the Wolverine Gym in Covington.