Georgia Chemical Plant Fire Forces Mandatory Evacuations, Officials Say

Smoke rises from the roof of a BioLab plant in Conyers, Ga., on Sept. 29, 2024, in a still from video. WSB-TV via AP

Some residents in a city east of Atlanta were placed under an evacuation order on Sept. 29 to avoid contact with smoke from a fire at a chemical plant.

The fire ignited when a sprinkler head malfunctioned at about 5 a.m. at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Rockdale County, Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters. The malfunction caused water to mix with a water-reactive chemical, producing a plume of chemicals. McDaniel said she wasn’t sure what chemicals were in the plume.

Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett said in a video posted on social media on Sept. 29 that a fire broke out at about 4:30 a.m. and “was contained” but that the fire later reignited. They are carrying out a “hard evacuation” in areas throughout Conyers, a suburb east of Atlanta, he told reporters.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency also confirmed a fire at BioLab and that emergency services are responding.

A shelter-in-place order was issued by Rockdale County, officials wrote in a social media post, noting that winds in the area will not subside until 8 p.m. ET.

Interstate 20 was shut down in both directions in the area because of the plant fire, the Georgia Department of Transportation wrote in a post on social media platform X on the afternoon of Sept. 29. All lanes on I-20 westbound were shut down near West Avenue, and I-20 eastbound was shut down near Turner Hill Road, officials said.

“Motorists are urged to avoid the area. Route diversions are in place. Heavy congestion in the area,” the Department of Transportation post reads.

The government of Rockdale County provided a map that includes the evacuation zone around the burning plant, showing that residents in the northern part of the county, or north of I-20, should evacuate.

Smoke fills the air from a fire at the nearby BioLab plant in Conyers, Ga., on Sept. 29, 2024, in a still from video. WSB-TV via AP

Earlier on Sept. 29, the Conyers Police Department said that people should shelter in place because of the fire, while residents in the northern half of Rockdale County should remain indoors, close windows and doors, and turn off air conditioners.

McDaniel said crews were working on removing 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 whether it is safe to return to their homes, she said.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division were both on site, county Emergency Management Director Sharon Webb said. The agencies are monitoring the air to provide “more of an idea of what the plume consists of,” Webb said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.