Shelter-in-Place Advisory Extended Indefinitely Over Georgia Chemical Plant Fire

Smoke billows from a fire at the BioLab facility in Conyers, Ga., on Sept. 29, 2024. Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Authorities in a Georgia county located east of Atlanta announced on Sept. 30 that they will extend a shelter-in-place advisory indefinitely because of a chemical plant fire in the area that has been emitting large plumes of black smoke since the morning of Sept. 29.

On Sept. 29, authorities confirmed that a fire in Conyers that started at the BioLab plant, which manufactures pool and spa products, was emitting large plumes of smoke that may contain at least one harmful chemical, chlorine, throughout the metro Atlanta area. There have been no reports of injuries.

In a statement from Rockdale County, authorities said that “Rockdale County remains closed with a shelter in place continuing” for an undefined period of time. It also “strongly advised” that the county’s residents shelter in place and that businesses close down until the shelter-in-place advisory is lifted.

All government facilities in Rockdale were shut down on Sept. 30 because of the fire, it also said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency carried out air quality surveys of the area on Sept. 29 and detected that chlorine, a harmful irritant chemical, was being emitted from the burning plant, the county said.

“For everyone sheltering in place, the best practice is to turn the air conditioning off and keep windows and doors shut,” the county said.

More than 90,000 residents east of Atlanta are estimated to be under the shelter-in-place advisory. People in the northern part of Rockdale County, north of Interstate 20, were ordered to evacuate on Sept. 29, and others were told to shelter in place.

Most of the city of Conyers has been evacuated, according to a post made by the Rockdale County government on the afternoon of Sept. 29.

The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency said in a statement on Sept. 30 that it is investigating reports of “a haze and strong chemical smell across Fulton County,” located west of Rockdale County. People who are concerned about respiratory problems were advised to stay indoors, keep their windows closed, and turn off all heating and cooling systems.

In a post on social media platform X, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens wrote that fire officials are using detectors to determine what chemicals are in the smoke that is inundating parts of the city on Sept. 30.

“The assumption is a change of the wind direction blowing some of the Conyers fire residuals our way,” he wrote. “We will push out messaging as we get more info.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to low levels of chlorine can cause eye and nasal irritation, sore throat, and coughing. However, exposure to higher concentrations can lead to more serious respiratory problems, including “airway constriction and accumulation of fluid in the lungs,” known as pulmonary edema.

Authorities have not released information regarding the exact levels of chlorine in the air.

In September 2020, the BioLab facility in Conyers suffered two incidents, according to a report released by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board last year. It found that a trichloroisocyanuric acid “reaction and decomposition resulted in the release of a plume of hazardous chemicals” that exposed its staff and nine firefighters to “dangerous fumes” during the first incident.

That incident also “caused a portion of Interstate 20 near the facility to be closed for approximately six hours,” and surrounding businesses were evacuated, the report said. Four days later, “a second decomposition” involving the acid occurred at the plant with no reported injuries, it added.

The Epoch Times contacted BioLab for comment on Sept. 30 but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.

“We are actively responding to an occurrence at our facility in Conyers, Georgia,” a BioLab spokesperson told several local media outlets on Sept. 30. “Our employees are accounted for with no injuries reported. Our team is on the scene, working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation. As always, the safety of our community remains our top priority.”