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| Massive plumes of smoke fill Georgia sky after a chemical plant fire | |
| 2024-09-30 | |
Thousands of people are under a shelter-in-place order after a major fire broke out at a chemical lab in Georgia. Massive clouds of smoke are saturating the sky in Conyers, Georgia, after a fire ignited at BioLab on Old Covington Highway on Sunday, the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office said. Around 5am EST, a sprinkler at the facility malfunctioned and sprayed water on a chemical that sparked an explosion, Atlanta News First reported. As of 4:15pm, the fire was still ongoing. BioLab manufactures pool and spa treatment products - including chlorine, according to CNN. The reaction led to a large, hazardous smoke cloud that began drifting to the northeast and prompted an evacuation. The unfolding chaos has put added pressure on Georgia's emergency services as Hurricane Helene swept through the state. The malfunction caused a small fire that was contained to the roof of the building before reigniting a few hours later, WSBTV reported. Authorities are in the process of removing pallets that contained the water-reactive chemical from the building - but it's still unclear what the chemical was that led to the massive blaze. There is an evacuation order in effect for anyone between Sigman Road and I-20, county officials said. Officials stated that anyone in this radius needs to leave the area immediately. 'I want to strongly ask all of you to please spread the word to stay away from this area at this point,' Rockdale County Sheriff, Eric Levett, said. Roads are closed in the area of the blaze with officials blocking off Interstate 20 in both directions between Salem Road and Turner Hill. A shelter-in-place order has been put in effect for residents in the north half of the county by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. Residents in the area are encouraged to 'remain indoors and keep windows closed to minimize exposure to any potential hazards,' the sheriff's office said. Rockdale County Fire Chief, Marian McDaniel, said: 'Any event, the wind shift, this thing can change really quickly. But once again, shelter in place, windows and doors closed.' The sheriff's office also set up several evacuation sites, including: JP Carr Gym at 90 Hardin St SW, Scout Camp at 218 Scout Road in Covington and Wolverine Gym at 8134 Geiger Street in Covington. Once the chemical is successfully contained and removed from the building, the situation will be further evaluated and residents will be able to get a clearer answer of when it'll be safe to return to their homes. Brad Nitz, a meteorologist for WSBTV, took to X to report that the fire in Rockdale County is being detected on Smoketracker and the southwest wind is blowing the smoke across to Walton County. Walton County Emergency Management director, Carl Morrow, shared an alert for the county residents, Monroe Local reported. The alert stated: 'Walton County EMA is aware of what is happening in our neighboring county of Rockdale. We are monitoring the situation and advise that if you smell a chlorine odor you should turn off your air conditioners, turn on your ceiling fans and if possible bring your outside animals indoors.' The situation appeared to only worsen after initially being contained this morning and Walton County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Craig League said they have now been asked to assist in the matter, Monroe Local reported. But thankfully, no employees have been reported as injured. A representative from BioLab released a statement which said: '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.' Due to the strong chlorine odor that is being reported, Director Carl Morrow of the Walton County Emergency Management Agency updated residents in close proximity to the chemical fire to call 911 if they have any difficulty breathing. This is the second fire within the past decade at the facility. The lab experienced a 'thermal decomposition event' that led to a fire in September of 2020. The building's warehouse was damaged after strong winds from Hurricane Laura allowed rainwater into the building, which is what started the previous fire, the US Chemical Safety Board found. | |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #7 Now fumes and smoke floating further east into neighboring counties. EPA LYING OUT ITS A$$ about it being safe. But next statement is shelter in place. Not enough Foam available to smoother it. Using water to drown it and its making it worse. Rain likely tonight. |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2024-09-30 17:33 |
| #6 Swing state hijinks continue. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2024-09-30 12:49 |
| #5 Georgia biolab shelter-in-place order extended indefinitely as fire triggers unstoppable chemical reaction |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-09-30 10:07 |
| #4 Georgia Residents Evacuated After Chemical Lab Catches Fire |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-09-30 05:30 |
| #3 Mustard gas - wiki |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-09-30 05:22 |
| #2 [BBC] Chem fire |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-09-30 05:13 |
| #1 BioLab manufactures pool and spa treatment products I don't quite understand how a fire in a place like this could produce mustard "gas"? |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-09-30 03:51 |