A fire at a chemical plant in Rockdale County sent a colossal plume of smoke into the sky on Sunday and has indefinitely upended daily life in that area.
The fire at BioLab, a chemical facility on Old Covington Road in Conyers, led to the evacuation order of about 17,000 people and several road closures, including I-20, on Sunday afternoon. The interstate reopened by Monday morning, but several roads remain closed, and the plume of smoke — now a chemical reaction and not a fire — will remain visible for several days.
Conyers chemical plant fire: Odor, haze reported in Fulton County
A shelter-in-place order remains in effect for all of Rockdale County, which has a population of just over 90,000, according to the 2020 census. It is not clear when that order will lift.
“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 Monday. ” For everyone sheltering in place, the best practice is to turn the air conditioning off and keep windows and doors shut.”