Chemical fire at pool cleaner plant forces evacuations in Atlanta suburb

A fire at a chemical plant east of Atlanta is forcing evacuations in the area, according to local officials.

A fire on the roof of a BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia was reignited when water from a malfunctioning sprinkler head "came in contact with a water reactive chemical and produced a plume," county officials explained on their website.

Conyers is located about 24 miles east of Atlanta.

A fire that had ignited at the facility at 5 a.m. ET had been extinguished earlier in the day, according to Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett.

"I want to strongly ask all of you to please spread the word to stay away from this area at this point,” Levett said. “It’s burning pretty good. We’re trying to get that under control, but at the same time we’re also trying to get the traffic under control.

People in Conyers between Interstate 20 and Sigman Rd. have been placed in an evacuation zone and multiple streets in the area have been closed.

The Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments directed residents in the area to turn off their air conditioning and stay indoors to minimize exposure to potential hazards in a post on X.

A fire occurred at the lab, which produces pool and spa chemicals, in 2020. An investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found that a "thermal decomposition event" led to the fire that closed Interstate 20.

KIK Consumer Products, the parent company of BioLab, said it was investigating the incident and that no employees had been hurt in a statement to USA TODAY.

This is a developing story that may be updated.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fire at BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia forces evacuations