Fire at a chemical plant in Georgia reignited after being contained: officially

HISTORY: ::29. September 2024

::Fire reignites at chemical plant in Georgia

after containment, says fire chief

::Conyers, Georgia

Marian McDaniel/Fire Chief/Rockdale County

“The fire was contained and then water supply was secured. While they were unloading the product from the building, the fire reignited around 12 noon. Over the last two or three hours it has been fighting the fire to the point where we are now. The water is safe again and we are waiting to clear some debris so we can begin removing the product from the building can begin.

Sharon Webb/ Director/Emergency Management/Rockdale County

“We have established a mandatory evacuation zone that extends from Sigmond to Lake View, our former road, as well as from Urban Bridge to Georgia 20 and Georgia 20 Back to Sigmund Road. We have I-20 closed from the Hill turnoff to Salem Road for the time being. Anyone outside this zone or the north side? We recommend leaving shelter in place until the cloud clears.”

“While they were unloading the product from the building, the fire re-ignited around 12 noon. Over the last two or three hours it has been fighting the fire to the point where we now have it out. Once again, the water is safe and we are waiting to clear some debris so we can begin moving product out of the building again,” McDaniel said.

The incident began around 5:30 a.m. (09:30 GMT) when a sprinkler system failed, reacting with chemicals at the factory and producing a huge plume of smoke that was visible for miles.

The fire resulted in an emergency shelter-in-place order for all Rockdale County residents. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) are currently assessing potential hazards on site as officials warn of possible toxic exposure from the smoke.