Chemical Plant Fire Leaves Plumes of Dark Gray Clouds in Sky

A fire at a chemical plant in Conyers, GA near Atlanta resulted in road closures as well as resident evacuations and shelter-in-place orders on Sunday.

Some residents were evacuated while others were told to shelter in place to avoid contaminants from the fire at the BioLab plant that sent a massive plume of dark smoke into the sky that could be seen from miles away.

A sprinkler malfunction at the lab first caused a chemical reaction and a large, hazardous plume, along with a small fire on the BioLab roof.

“We are actively responding to an occurrence at our facility in Conyers, Georgia. 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," read a statement by the company.

Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters the malfunction caused water to mix with a water-reactive chemical, producing a plume of chemicals.

The fire had been contained but reignited.

McDaniel said there were employees inside the plant but no injuries were reported at the time, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

According to its website, BioLab is the swimming pool and spa water care division of Lawrenceville, GA-based KIK Consumer Products. 

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“Our top priority is ensuring the community’s safety, and our teams are working around-the-clock to respond to the ongoing situation at our facility in Conyers, Georgia. We continue to work collaboratively with first responders and local authorities and have deployed specialized teams from out of state to the site to bolster and support their efforts. We are all focused on remediating the situation as rapidly as possible," a company statement read.

All Rockdale County Government offices are closed today, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, due to the fire.