A fire at a BioLab chemical plant forced thousands of Rockdale County residents to evacuate or shelter in place, and other metro Atlanta counties are investigating reports of hazy air and a strong chemical odor.
However, air quality in Athens is normal, according to Nate Moss, Athens-Clarke County’s fire chief and emergency management director. Testing at Athens’ two hospitals indicated nothing out of the ordinary, he said.
Local officials as well as the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Georgia Environmental Protection Division continue to monitor the situation, Moss said, but he did not believe it was likely worsen locally.
There is no need for a shelter in place order currently, although individuals with respiratory issues may choose to stay indoors, he said.
GEMA issued an alert Monday afternoon for a 50-mile radius around Conyers, which includes Athens, approximately 47 miles away. The alert said that “chemical levels are unlikely to cause harm to most people.”
A fire at the BioLab facility on Sunday triggered the sprinkler system, and a chemical reaction with the water created a plume of toxic chlorine gas, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. About 17,000 people were evacuated, and the rest of Rockdale County’s 90,000 residents were ordered to shelter in place.
A haze and chemical smell were also reported in DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties, the AJC wrote.
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