By David Aaro, Rosana Hughes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CONYERS, Ga. — A shelter-in-place order for all of Rockdale County has been extended indefinitely, authorities announced Monday morning.
Environmental officials are investigating a fire at BioLab, a chemical facility on Old Covington Road in Conyers, that sent a colossal wall of smoke that billowed into the air Sunday afternoon and led to the evacuation order of about 17,000 people and several road closures, including I-20 , which remain closed Monday. Residents there will likely see the plume of smoke — now a chemical reaction and not a fire — for several days.
“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 decision is based on air quality surveys conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, “which 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.
Additionally, I-20 will remain closed eastbound and westbound from Turner Hill Road to Almon Road.
“The need to keep I-20 closed is based on unpredictable path and wind direction, which could change the direction of the irritants in the air,” authorities said.
It was the third time in seven years that a fire has ignited at the plant, officials said. According to the company’s website, BioLab “is the swimming pool and spa water care division of KIK Consumer Products.” That company is based in Lawrenceville.
The fire started Sunday morning and was initially extinguished. It reignited after noon Sunday. Photos showed a massive plume of smoke in the sky that was visible from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — about 30 miles away.
“Please remain indoors and keep windows closed to minimize exposure to any potential hazards,” the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release.
A fire on the roof caused the sprinkler system to mix with a water-reactive chemical at the plant, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said during a news conference late Sunday. It’s unclear what started the fire, which was brought under control around 4 p.m. The roof and walls of the plant have since collapsed.
On Sunday morning, McDaniel said crews had been working on taking the material away from the water source at the facility and that the fire was contained to the roof. But the fire reignited around noon as crews were removing the material. There were employees inside the plant but no injuries have been reported.
“Now we are just trying to mitigate the debris so we can offload the product,” the chief said.
Standing in front of the billowing smoke that at one point turned orange, Rockdale Sheriff Eric Levett on Sunday afternoon “strongly asked” residents to stay away from the area.
Officials created an evacuation zone for a large portion of Conyers due to the fire.
There was more traffic than usual in Conyers on Sunday as drivers tried to navigate the closed roads and section of the interstate. A Kroger store on Ga. 138 was shuttered, while a QuikTrip on Klondike Road was pay at the pump only. The lights from police cruisers were visible throughout the area, many of which came from neighboring jurisdictions.
Over her seven years with the fire department, McDaniel said it was the third such incident of “this magnitude,” at the plant. The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency said it issued a shelter-in-place order on behalf of Rockdale’s emergency management agency, but no timetable has been provided as to when the area will be safe.
In September 2020, a “TCCA reaction and decomposition” caused another plume of hazardous chemicals to be released into the air at the Conyers plant, exposing facility personnel and nine firefighters to “dangerous fumes,” according to a U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board report. Surrounding businesses were evacuated and a section of I-20 was closed for about six hours. The report stated another decomposition involving TCCA happened four days later at the plant, but no one was injured.
“TCCA is used throughout the country in pool care and, when put in large bodies of water such as a pool, breaks down slowly, releasing chlorine in the water,” the report added. “However, when TCCA comes into contact with small amounts of water and does not dissolve, it can undergo a chemical reaction that generates heat, causing the decomposition of TCCA, which produces toxic chlorine gas.”
While it’s unclear what chemical was involved with the fire on Sunday, officials said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be sampling the plume to determine its contents. Before the severity of the chemical is determined, evacuation sites are being held at Lucious Sanders Recreation Center, 2484 Bruce Street in Lithonia, Bert Adams Boy Scout Camp at 218 Scout Road in Covington, and Wolverine Gym at 8134 Geiger Street in Newton County. A previous site was listed at 90 Hardin Street in Conyers, but it is now in the evacuation zone, officials said.
A dispatcher with the Rockdale fire department confirmed that Rockdale Piedmont Hospital was evacuating some of its patients.
On Monday, all Newton County Schools will be closed out of an abundance of caution, officials said. The Rockdale County District Attorney’s Office said its offices and the county courthouse also would be closed Monday due to the fire.
“We ask for your prayers for the safety of the residents of Rockdale and the first responders committed to protecting our community,” the DA’s office said.
As of Sunday morning, there was not a plan in place for residents unable to return to their homes by the evening. County officials will let the public know on its social media channels when the EPA determines the threat level to the community. A shift in the plume and report from the EPA will likely influence how long the area would be impacted.
“We have about 60 folks over at the scene working through this, so it’s going to be a long process,” McDaniel said.
The company’s website says that its brands are “industry leaders” that “pioneered computerized water testing and the 3-step system for pool and spa care.” On Sunday, the company responded to the fire with a statement saying that all its employees were safe and that community safety is a top concern.
“We are actively responding to an occurrence at our facility in Conyers, Georgia,” a BioLab representative said in a statement. “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.”
The fire led to the cancellation of church services from Rockbridge to the Northside County line. Officials said local hospitals will be putting out a PSA about steps to take for those affected by the incident.
The road closures include:
- Old Covington Highway at 2nd Avenue
- Sigman Road at Rockbridge Road
- Sigman Road at General Arts Road
- Blacklawn Road at Veterans Drive
- Plunkett Road at Lester Road
- Rockdale Industrial Boulevard at Lester Road
- Lester Road , east of Farmer Road
- General Arts Road at Farmer Road
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