Twenty miles away from the chemical fire in Conyers, Georgia, Atlanta residents can smell chlorine. Nobody knows exactly what’s in the massive plume of smoke but one thing’s for certain. Firemen won’t be using water to put this blaze out. That’s what started it. So far, more than 90,000 residents downwind are trapped in their homes and advised to avoid breathing.
BioLab fire blazing away
Chemicals which react violently with water started the fire, when a sprinkler system malfunctioned. Once it got started, it’s proving nearly impossible to put out. The plume of probably toxic fumes rising off the BioLab pool chemical plant is enormous.
After burning totally out of control for nearly 48 hours, “authorities are now reporting a ‘strong chemical smell‘ in the Atlanta area,” twenty miles away. Most people say it smells like chlorine. Chlorine gas isn’t good for your health. It can kill you in an unpleasant way.
Currently on Monday, September 30, “more than 90,000 residents” are trapped in their homes. Officially, advised to “remain sheltered in place.” Authorities confirmed the “harmful irritant chlorine” was detected in the air.
According to the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, they’re continuing “to investigate the numerous reports of a haze and strong chemical smell across Fulton County, likely related to the BioLab fire.” Please stop calling them.
“We are aware of the incident in Conyers, Georgia and are working diligently to ensure the safety of those in and around Atlanta,” Mayor Andre Dickens posted on social media. “air quality control checks” are underway. Meanwhile, Rockdale County officials “ordered residents to remain sheltered in place.”
They cited EPA verification of chlorine gas emitted by the fire. “For everyone sheltering in place, the best practice is to turn the air conditioning off and keep windows and doors shut.” What they didn’t say but implied was “try not to breathe if you can avoid it.”
BioLab not talking
BioLab “did not immediately respond to a request for comment” when Fox News gave them a jingle. That’s probably because this exact same thing has happened before at the same plant. More than one fire started by water reactive chemicals.
“Our top priority is ensuring the community’s safety, and our teams are working around-the-clock to respond to the ongoing situation at our facility in Conyers, Georgia,” their lawyers note on the company website. “We continue to work collaboratively with first responders and local authorities and have deployed specialized teams from out of state to the site to bolster and support their efforts.”
This massive and disruptive catastrophe happened around 5 a.m. on Sunday. After thinking they had the flames out, it “re-ignited” a little later. That’s when “smoke clouds had been seen emanating from the facility and some residents were ordered to evacuate.”
Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel explained that a malfunctioning sprinkler head malfunctioned and caused “a mixture with a water reactive chemical.”
Rockdale Sheriff Eric Levett couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic backdrop to his news conference. As the sheriff was “strongly” advising “residents to stay away from the area,” the plume of smoke turned ominously orange. As if on cue.
Chief McDaniel noted this was the third huge fire “in which a product mixed with water and started a chemical reaction at the plant.” The last time was in 2021.
