A fire at Biolab, a chemical plant in Rockdale County, is causing the evacuation of people who live nearby as well as a number of road closures.
The sheriff’s office says they evacuated the area near Biolab on Old Covington Highway on Sunday morning, and are telling others to shelter in place for the time being.
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Residents in the area should “remain indoors and keep windows closed to minimize exposure to any potential hazards,” the sheriff’s office said on their Facebook page.
According to Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel, the fire started at about 5:30 a.m. and was contained to the roof.
Water from the building’s sprinkler system mixed with a water-reactive chemical and wiring sparked the fire. It’s unclear exactly what that chemical was.
Pallets with that water-reactive chemical are being removed from the building, but they say it is likely to be a process that takes all day.
Channel 2′s Michele Newell is in the area and saw the white smoke from the building filling the sky turn to black smoke which quickly became orange smoke billowing from the building.