Tuesday, October 1

Locals have been allowed to return to their homes after a serious fire broke out at the BioLab in Conyers, a town in eastern Georgia, sending hazardous chemical smoke into the area around it.

Officials stated that a sprinkler had malfunctioned around 5 am on Sunday morning, sparking a fire on the roof after it sprayed onto a "water-reactive chemical." The fire soon spread, sending a thick, dark plume of chemical smoke into the air. The plume could be seen for miles, and residents in the area soon reported a strange, toxic smell outside along with hazy visibility. Within a few hours, the smell had spread to the city of Atlanta, which is located around 25 miles west of Conyers.

BioLab, which is owned by KIK Consumer Products, produces swimming pool and spa care products, including water testing kits and chemicals for pool and spa care. Some of their brands include BioGuard and SpaGuard, and some of their biggest products include SeaKlear and AquaPill. Due to the fact that these products are for pool and spa care, many of them contain chlorine, a chemical that can be extremely dangerous to health if breathed in.

Extremely poor air quality because of the smoke and chlorine gas forced much of northern Rockdale County, east of downtown Atlanta, to evacuate from their homes, and schools throughout the area halted all extracurricular activities and outside play on Monday. Over 90,000 people were given the order to shelter in place, turn off air conditioning, and stay inside, as breathing in chlorine can lead to severe bouts of coughing, irritation in the nose and eyes, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, and a painful burning feeling in the chest.

Around 4 pm on Sunday, the fire came under control after firefighters battled the flames for hours, but officials say the plume and the haze could linger for days. While the fire was initially put out, it reignited in the middle of the day and caused the roof of the facility to collapse completely. However, the evacuation and shelter-in-place orders have been lifted after readings from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) devices showed regular chlorine levels. The water supply was also tested for chemicals and is being considered safe.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time an incident like this has occurred at BioLab. The facility was constructed in 1973 and previous incidents involving water-reactive chemicals also occurred in 2004 and 2020, and additional fires also occurred at the plant in 2015 and 2016. In 2004, a sprinkler malfunction similar to Sunday's incident caused a massive fire at the plant, with the plume of chlorine gas and smoke covering over 10 miles. Nine people were sent to the hospital after experiencing severe symptoms of chlorine inhalation. In 2020, winds from a hurricane damaged the roof, allowing rainwater to fall into the complex and come into contact with the water-reactive chemicals. The fire caused complete closures of Interstate 20, the primary highway running through the area, and nine firefighters were sent to the hospital after inhaling chlorine gas.

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