It’s been a week and a half since a chemical fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, spewed chlorine fumes into the air surrounding the community east of Atlanta. On the day of the fire, thousands of Rockdale County residents who had gone to church that Sunday morning couldn’t return to their homes until Monday. Large swaths of the county had to shelter in place for days after the incident.
In the first few days after the fire, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) told residents that the chemicals in the air were “unlikely to cause harm to most people.” However, Rockdale County officials shared information about the dangers of chlorine exposure on its Facebook page.
Crews cannot address the chemical plume, which changes color with the various pool care products that continue to smolder, until they remove all the debris. As employees clean up more debris, they discover more chemicals underneath the rubble.
Some Conyers residents are still having to shelter in place overnight. The Rockdale County government is advising anyone living within two miles of the plant to stay indoors with their windows and doors closed between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Interestingly enough, Rockdale County bears some of the blame for the fire and its lingering chemical smoke. The county sees a tax revenue goldmine in BioLab, which accounts for almost 3% of the county’s entire tax base. Rockdale has given multiple tax breaks to the company to encourage its expansion, despite this fire and multiple others over the years.
Related: Massive Chemical Plant Fire Causes Tens of Thousands to Evacuate in Suburban Atlanta
This past weekend, organizers held a rally at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, calling for officials to shut BioLab down. A petition is circulating as well — naturally, it’s from an outfit called the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
“We feel like there’s been no oversight and they’ve been treated too laxly,” rally organizer Jacob Dallas said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We feel that they have the money to make sure their sprinkles [sic] work and not send toxic gas into the community.”
In another curious development, Rockdale County’s soil and water supervisor collapsed across the street from the Capitol after giving testimony about the fire on Tuesday. Kenny Johnson later died.
“According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, Johnson died at Grady Memorial Hospital,” reports 11Alive. “The ME said that due to the circumstances of the incident, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has agreed to accept the case.”
There’s no proof yet that Johnson’s death was directly related to the chemical fire, but an autopsy will give authorities more answers.
For its part, BioLab has set up a 24/7 call center for local residents and issued a statement:
At BioLab, we take our role in the Conyers community very seriously, and we deeply regret the impact of the fire at our warehouse. Our priority is remediating this situation with the health and safety of the community top of mind. The response is being led by the Unified Command, under the direction of the Rockdale County Fire Chief, and comprising local, state, and federal officials and BioLab senior leaders – along with the technical specialists we have deployed. We are all working diligently to make progress onsite.
You have our commitment that we will support our community and make this right.
I don’t doubt that BioLab wants to do the right thing and remain a responsible part of the community. At the same time, I wonder how long the effects of this fire will last. I have a feeling that the eastern portion of metro Atlanta will be dealing with this for a while.
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