A massive fire at a chemical plant in Georgia prompted the evacuation of 17,000 people, as well as a shelter-in-place order for many others.
The shelter-in-place order for Rockdale County was extended indefinitely, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The chemical reaction resulting from a fire consumed a BioLab facility, with pictures and videos showing a massive plume of smoke billowing out of the site.
“In the best interest and safety of the public and all citizens, it is recommended that businesses close operations until shelter-in-place is lifted,” county officials said in a news release.
The order was given after air-quality surveys were taken by the Environmental Protection Agency and Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
The surveys “revealed the harmful irritant chlorine, which was detected in the air emitting from the incident location of BioLab. For everyone sheltering in place, the best practice is to turn the air conditioning off and keep windows and doors shut,” officials said. The National Institutes of Health lists symptoms of chlorine poisoning as “violent cough, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, headache, chest pain, abdominal discomfort, and corneal burns.”
The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office echoed the urge to stay indoors.
“Our team is on the scene, working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation,” a BioLab spokesman told 11Alive.
Though the explosion is the worst to have occurred at the plant, the fire that caused it is the third such instance in seven years. The last fire, in 2020, was the result of heavy wind and rain from Hurricane Laura causing rainwater to seep into the warehouse, reacting with a chemical and causing a fire. BioLab’s website describes itself as the “swimming pool and spa water care division of KIK Consumer Products.”
Local TJ Lamar, speaking with 11Alive, said the effects of the fire were quickly felt.
“My eyes were burning, and like, you could smell the chlorine,” she said.
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Lamar said she took a day trip to Atlanta hoping to wait out the fire, but upon returning, “it was worse.”
The Red Cross was mobilized to provide food and shelter for evacuees.