Georgia Chemical Fire Forces 90,000 to Shelter in Place

With emergency teams in Georgia strained by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, a separate disaster unfolded Sunday in the city of Conyers, about 25 miles east of Atlanta, after a small fire at a pool treatment plant sent a huge plume of chemical-laden smoke billowing across the area and forced more than 90,000 people to evacuate or shelter in place.

The fire broke out early Sunday on the roof of a plant owned by BioLab, which makes pool and spa treatment products, and was under control within several hours.

But the incident caused water to mix with a water-reactive chemical and created the massive plume of dark smoke, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state officials said contained "the harmful irritant chlorine."

About 17,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Sunday, and a shelter-in-place order was still in effect Monday for about 90,000 residents of Rockdale County.

County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said at a news conference that the smoke could remain in the area for "several days."

Schools in nearly DeKalb and Newton Counties announced closures and canceled outdoor activities on Monday, and some roads and county offices were also forced to shut down. A nearby hospital also moved patients to other facilities as a precaution, CNN reported.

On Sunday the fire led authorities to close an eight-mile stretch of Interstate 20, which was reopened on Monday.

According to the EPA, exposure to high levels of chlorine can cause chest pain, vomiting, toxic pneumonitis, and pulmonary edema, which lower exposure levels can irritate the eyes, lungs, and upper respiratory tract.

The smoke plume disrupted daily life in the area days after hundreds of households were ordered to evacuate two towns in the Cincinnati area last week due to a leak of styrene, a toxic chemical that can affect the nervous system, from a railcar.

Michael Esealuka, an environmental justice organizer in the U.S. South, noted on the social media platform X that the fire in Conyers led to the fifth chemical disaster in the month of September.

As Common Dreamsreported last year, there were at least 287 hazardous chemical incidents in the first 10 months of 2023 in the U.S.—working out to nearly one per day—that killed 43 people and forced more than 190 communities to evacuate.

Another toxic plume from the BioLab plant in Conyers forced nearby businesses to evacuate and a portion of Interstate 20 to close in September 2020, as well as exposing firefighters and workers at the facility to "dangerous fumes."