WATCH: Massive Smoke Plume From Georgia Chemical Plant Forces Evacuations, Highway Closures

(Credit: Wikimedia commons, public domain.)

A huge smoke plume erupted from the BioLab chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia, Sunday, causing evacuations and the closure of a six-mile stretch of the I-20 highway. No injuries have been reported and the chemicals causing the issue have yet to be identified, but officials did reveal that a sprinkler sprinkler malfunctioned inside the plant at 5 a.m. and mixed with a “water-reactive” chemical, causing the outburst of smoke.

Advertisement

Even as authorities were giving updates, the problem continued:

A small fire also broke out on the roof of the plant but that fire was contained “quite quickly,” Chief McDaniel said. The fire later reignited, according to Eric J. Levett, the Rockdale County sheriff.

“The fire has started again,” Sheriff Levett said in a video message on Sunday afternoon as he stood on the side of a busy road. “It’s burning pretty good and we are trying to get that under control.”

As he spoke, Sheriff Levett gestured to a billow of smoke rising up to the sky behind him. A fire truck, interrupting him, blared its siren and cleared traffic as it moved past.

The plume was ominous:

Several news outlets are reporting that the lab produced chemicals for swimming pools and spa water treatments:

Advertisement

Officials are working quickly to contain the problem, but they’re already under a lot of strain from the damage cause by the catastrophic Hurricane Helene, which ravaged the Southeast over the weekend.

“We have about 60 folks over there working through this, so it’s going to be a long process but we are here until the end,” she [Fire Chief Marian McDaniel of Rockdale County] said…

City officials said that state emergency teams were helping but that resources were stretched thin because of the response required to the damage caused in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.


Massive:

AWFUL: Death Toll Rises to 64 in the Wake of Hurricane Helene

WATCH: Hurricane Helene Makes a Hero of Weatherman Who Hears a Woman's Screams From Her Submerged Car


As of this writing, the situation is still ongoing:

Authorities say that those who live south of I-20 are safe, but those who live north of I-20 or between I-20 and Sigman Road are asked to evacuate.

"Please evacuate the area if you are inside this zone," Rockdale County officials said in a Facebook post. "I-20 will be blocked off in both directions between Salem Rd and Turner Hill."

Advertisement

RedState will continue to bring you updates as needed. Continue checking in with us or download the Townhall News app TODAY.

Recommended

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on RedState Videos