An entire city in Georgia has been evacuated after a fire broke out at a BioLab facility, causing a huge cloud of smoke to fill the air.
Conyers, Georgia, a city with 17,000 residents, was evacuated, while residents of Rockdale County were instructed to remain indoors, according to WXIA-TV. Rockdale County surrounds Conyers and has a population of around 100,000.
County officials announced on Facebook, per The Western Journal, that “businesses close operations until shelter-in-place is lifted.”
Air quality assessments indicated “the harmful irritant chlorine, which was detected in the air emitting from the incident location of BioLab.”
“For everyone sheltering in place, the best practice is to turn the air conditioning off and keep windows and doors shut,” the release recommended.
Schools will also be closed on Monday.
One resident described being woken up early in the morning by law enforcement.
“We got woken up by the police knocking on the door at like 6 a.m,” TJ Lamar told WXIA-TV. “They [were] like ‘Y’all have got to go.’”
She also told the outlet that she and her four children left the residence with only her wallet and the clothes they were wearing.
“My eyes were burning. You could smell the chlorine in the air,” she said.
Another resident in the area had a different experience. Michaela Edwards was told to stay inside and said that she was unaware of what had happened until her son called her. She said that she could see colorful clouds from her window.
“Oh my God, the sky is literally red. Something’s wrong. Of course, I freaked out inside. And I started closing all the vents and [trying] to make sure everything is cut off,” said Edwards.
“You know how on a cartoon movie when something explodes, it’s like multiple clouds just climbing out of each other? That’s the best way I can describe it.”
Many areas in metro Atlanta, particularly Gwinnett County to the north of Rockdale, as well as the City of Atlanta and surrounding regions, reported a chlorine odor and a hazy atmosphere affecting their neighborhoods Monday morning.
In a statement, Gwinnett County Public Schools announced that all outdoor activities and events have been cancelled and are preventing outside air from entering its buildings.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced Monday afternoon that fire officials had found a “small faint amount of chlorine in the air,” but reassured the public that it was at safe levels for humans and seemed to be dissipating as the day advances.
The fire began on Sunday morning and was thought to have been extinguished but reignited Sunday afternoon.
A BioLab spokesperson said that representatives are “actively responding” to the incident and reassured that all employees “are accounted for with no injuries reported.”
“Our team is on the scene, working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation. As always, the safety of our community remains our top priority.”
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Author: Gloriel Howard
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