Chemical Smoke From Factory Fire Moving Toward Atlanta, Officials Warn

Officials in Georgia warned this week that smoke from a chemical fire may be traveling closer to the state’s capital of Atlanta.
Rockdale County emergency officials have advised residents near the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, to remain indoors from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. local time every night until Friday. The warning comes three days after a chemical fire erupted at the facility, sending a large cloud of orange and black smoke into the sky. Authorities are concerned that air quality during the designated hours could reach dangerous levels for those downwind of the chemical plume.
The Georgia Department of Transportation reported Wednesday that the chemical cloud from the BioLab fire continued to reduce visibility for drivers on Interstate 20, particularly between mile markers 78 and 82. Motorists were urged to keep their windows closed while traveling through the affected area.
The impact of the chemical fire isn’t confined to Conyers. Residents in Atlanta and nearby suburbs, located roughly 25 miles southeast of the BioLab plant, have reported a strong chemical odor and a lingering haze stretching far beyond the immediate area.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency warned that winds are expected to shift from east to west by Wednesday evening, likely directing the smoke from the BioLab fire toward Atlanta.
“Smoke is predicted to settle towards the ground as it moves toward Atlanta,” the agency said in a statement on Wednesday. “There is a high likelihood that people across metro Atlanta will wake up on Thursday morning seeing haze and smelling chlorine.”
According to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, overnight monitoring near the facility “detected some exceedances above the action level for chlorine.”
Officials confirmed that the fire was contained by around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, but materials at the BioLab plant have continued to smolder, keeping the threat of smoke and chemicals in the air.
Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and the response to it. According to Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel, the plant’s sprinkler system activated around 5:00 a.m. Sunday, spraying water onto chemicals that react with water. Although employees were inside the facility at the time, no injuries were reported.
According to BioLab’s website, the company operates as the pool and spa water treatment division of KIK Consumer Products, which is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The Conyers facility, which has been operational since 1973, has experienced other significant fires in the past.
A previous chemical fire at the Conyers plant in September 2020 led authorities to close Interstate 20. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found that nine firefighters were hospitalized after inhaling toxic fumes during the incident.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.