Residents in northern Rockdale County, east of Atlanta, were evacuated following a fire at the BioLab plant that caused a large chemical plume to rise into the air. 

The fire started early Sunday morning around 5 am after a malfunction in the plant’s sprinkler system, according to Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniels, as reported by the Associated Press. The sprinkler malfunction led to water mixing with a reactive chemical, creating a hazardous plume. The exact chemicals involved have not yet been confirmed.

BioLab issued a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, confirming the incident and assuring that no employees were injured. “We are actively responding to an occurrence at our facility in Conyers, Georgia. Our 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.”

Initially, a fire on the roof of the plant was contained but reignited in the afternoon. Authorities have been working to control the fire and urged nearby residents to avoid the area.

Evacuation orders or shelter-in-place advisories were issued for affected residents, who were told to close windows and doors to avoid exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. The exact number of people impacted by these orders is not yet known.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Georgia Environmental Protection Division are both on the scene. The agencies are monitoring the air quality to “give us more of an idea of what the plume consists of,” Rockdale County Emergency Management Director Sharon Webb explained.