Fulton County, Georgia, is feeling the side effects of Sunday’s chemical fire in Rockdale County, 20 miles east of Atlanta. According to Atlanta First , the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is assessing the fallout from the BioLab chemical fire. EMA expects the smell of chlorine and visible smoke to linger for days, Oct. 3–6.
Mayor Andre Dickens held a press conference to inform residents about the possible smell of chlorine.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) provides detailed insight into what is being done to track and monitor chemical levels.
The agency states, “The current weather models show the winds will begin to shift from the east to the west after sunset Wednesday. Smoke is predicted to settle toward the ground as it moves toward Atlanta. There is a high likelihood that people across Metro Atlanta will wake up on Thursday morning seeing haze and smelling chlorine.”
On Sept. 29, 2024, BioLab, a chemical plant 20 miles outside of Atlanta, went up in smoke due to a faulty sprinkler system. Large clouds of red and black smoke were visible for hours after the fire began, prompting hazard warnings to Rockdale County and its surrounding counties. The incident led to the evacuation of thousands of residents. As a result, a class action lawsuit has been filed.