A huge smoke plume erupted from the BioLab chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia, Sunday, causing evacuations and the closure of a six-mile stretch of the I-20 highway. No injuries have been reported and the chemicals causing the issue have yet to be identified, but officials did reveal that a sprinkler sprinkler malfunctioned inside the plant at 5 a.m. and mixed with a “water-reactive” chemical, causing the outburst of smoke.
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Even as authorities were giving updates, the problem continued:
A small fire also broke out on the roof of the plant but that fire was contained “quite quickly,” Chief McDaniel said. The fire later reignited, according to Eric J. Levett, the Rockdale County sheriff.
“The fire has started again,” Sheriff Levett said in a video message on Sunday afternoon as he stood on the side of a busy road. “It’s burning pretty good and we are trying to get that under control.”
As he spoke, Sheriff Levett gestured to a billow of smoke rising up to the sky behind him. A fire truck, interrupting him, blared its siren and cleared traffic as it moved past.
The plume was ominous:
A massive chemical fire has broken out at BioLab in Conyers, GA. Prayers up. pic.twitter.com/hdLDZgc22r
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 29, 2024
Several news outlets are reporting that the lab produced chemicals for swimming pools and spa water treatments:
🚨#BREAKING: Shelter-in-Place and Evacuations Ordered Due to Biolab Chemical Plant Fire releasing massive amounts toxic smoke
Currently, a shelter-in-place order and evacuations are underway as numerous hazmat crews and other emergency services respond to… pic.twitter.com/zvDpvnYIrv
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) September 29, 2024
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Officials are working quickly to contain the problem, but they’re already under a lot of strain from the damage cause by the catastrophic Hurricane Helene, which ravaged the Southeast over the weekend.
“We have about 60 folks over there working through this, so it’s going to be a long process but we are here until the end,” she [Fire Chief Marian McDaniel of Rockdale County] said…
City officials said that state emergency teams were helping but that resources were stretched thin because of the response required to the damage caused in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Massive:
AWFUL: Death Toll Rises to 64 in the Wake of Hurricane Helene
As of this writing, the situation is still ongoing:
Authorities say that those who live south of I-20 are safe, but those who live north of I-20 or between I-20 and Sigman Road are asked to evacuate.
“Please evacuate the area if you are inside this zone,” Rockdale County officials said in a Facebook post. “I-20 will be blocked off in both directions between Salem Rd and Turner Hill.”
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Here is the smoke plume detected on radar from the #BioLab in Conyers. Winds are directing in to the northeast. @FOX5Atlanta @GoodDayAtlanta https://t.co/udmDgEuwPu pic.twitter.com/9VG9lxjRMs
— Joanne Feldman FOX 5 (@JoanneFOX5) September 29, 2024
