BioLab plant fire: More than 90,000 people shelter in place in Georgia as 'strong chemical smell' enters Atlanta area

Authorities are now reporting a “strong chemical odor” in the Atlanta area following a fire at a chemical plant east of the Georgian capital that forced more than 90,000 residents to shelter in place Monday after detection of “harmful irritant chlorine” in the air.

The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency announced this morning that it is continuing its “investigation into numerous reports of a haze and strong chemical odor in Fulton County, possibly related to the BioLab fire” which broke out Sunday in Conyers. BioLab is a company that produces swimming pool chemicals, according to its website.

“We are aware of the incident in Conyers, Georgia and are working diligently to keep people in and around Atlanta safe,” Mayor Andre Dickens wrote on Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport conduct air quality monitoring checks.

The government of Rockdale County, where Conyers is located, ordered residents to remain sheltered in place Monday after testing by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division revealed the presence of “harmful irritant chlorine” in “the air emitted from the BioLab incident site.”

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A large plume of smoke rises above a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia on Sunday, September 29. (Alvarez Kennedy/Reuters)

The fire at the BioLab factory broke out around 5 a.m. Sunday before being extinguished later in the afternoon. By then, clouds of smoke had been seen coming from the facility and some residents were ordered to evacuate. Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said a sprinkler head at the facility malfunctioned and caused “mixing with a water-reactive chemical.”

“The Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency, based on information received from the Division of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency, strongly advises all residents of Rockdale County Rockdale to continue to shelter in place,” Rockdale County government said. “Furthermore, in the best interest and safety of the public and all citizens, businesses are recommended to close their doors until the shelter-in-place is lifted.

“For anyone sheltering in place, the best practice is to turn off the air conditioning and keep windows and doors closed,” he adds.

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The fire broke out Sunday morning at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia. (Ian Stinson via Storyful)

BioLab did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

“Our top priority is keeping the community safe, and our teams are working around the clock to respond to the current situation at our Conyers, Georgia facility,” the company said on its website. “We continue to work collaboratively with first responders and local authorities and have deployed specialized teams from out of state to the site to augment and support their efforts. We are all focused on resolving the situation as soon as possible. as quickly as possible.”