A massive fire at the BioLab chemical plant in Conyers, GA, about 27 miles east of Atlanta, forced authorities to block I-20 and call for evacuation of the surrounding area.
The authorities placed those “north of I-20 and between Sigman Road and I-20 are within the evacuation zone.”
People south of I-20 are safe:
“If you choose not to evacuate, please do not get out and ride around and just take videos of what’s going on!” said Conyers Mayor Vince Evans. “Stay in place. Stay put. Either leave or stay, but don’t be wandering out in the city.””This is not the time to do any type of sightseeing,” said Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett. “We are strongly encouraging everyone, no matter where you’re coming from, but especially Rockdale residents, to stay out of this area for the safety of yourself, and for the safety of all personnel that are out here already that have to work this type of incident.”
A malfunctioned sprinkler caused water to mix with a reactive chemical:
During a 10 a.m. press conference, it was revealed that the incident began around 5 a.m. Officials say that a sprinkler in the plant malfunctioned, causing water to make contact with a reactive chemical. That resulted in a small fire on the roof of the plant and a large plume.Officials did not say what chemical was involved during the press conference. Officials also said that they are waiting for heavy equipment to remove pallets of the chemical from the plant. In the meantime, the EPA will be sampling the plume to determine what chemicals are in it to determine the threat level to the community.
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