Sunday morning, at the BioLab facility in Conyers, some 25 miles outside of Atlanta, a sprinkler head malfunctioned, starting the fire.
According to Marian McDaniel, the fire chief of Rockdale County, this resulted in the mixing of water and a chemical, which set off a reaction that created the plume.
The specific compounds that were present in the smoke are yet unknown.
“We are actively addressing an incident that occurred at our location,” a BioLab spokesperson stated in a statement.
“All of our workers are present, and no injuries have been recorded. Our group is operative on the spot.
He advised people to avoid the region and stated that certain places were being evacuated.
According to a post on X by the Georgia Department of Transportation, Interstate 20 was closed in both directions in the vicinity.
Both the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the federal Environmental Protection Agency responded to the location to monitor the air quality and determine the composition of the plume.
