Georgia county issues new shelter-in-place order over chemical fire plume

• The county government noted that due to weather, "the plume is banking down and moving throughout the county."
• The Georgia Poison Center established a hotline for calls relating to symptoms, such as nose, throat or eye irritation or difficulty breathing.

The big picture: Air quality surveys earlier detected chlorine, a harmful irritant, in the air emitting from the Conyers, Georgia, BioLab facility, prompting business and road closures across Rockdale County, an area east of Atlanta.

• The Environmental Protection Agency is monitoring air quality for chlorine, but officials noted the chemical levels are unlikely to harm most people.
• An update shared on the city of Atlanta's X page noted Rockdale's new shelter in place Tuesday morning that it was "awaiting additional guidance from the EnvironmentalProtection Agency" as Atlanta Fire Rescue conducts additional testing.
• Atlanta Fire Rescue said in a statement Monday afternoon that the agency was monitoring for "potential volatile organic compounds," such as chlorine and hydrogen sulfide, and had identified "no immediate life safety issues."
• Tests were being conducted throughout the city, the statement said, adding the haze had started to clear. The AFCEMA said in its Monday evening post that there may be a haze overnight, but it should clear by late Tuesday morning.

Catch up quick: A shelter-in-place order for Rockdale County was issued Sunday and extended Monday morning.

• Around 17,000 people were evacuated, officials said at a Sunday news conference.
• No BioLab employees were injured, per a statement from the company, which manufactures pool and spa treatment products.
• Households sheltering in place are recommended to keep air conditioning off and windows and doors shut, officials say.
• Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders for the county's residents had been lifted Monday evening, per online posts from the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency (AFCEMA) that noted the fire was out "but off-gassing remains, primarily chlorine."

What they're saying: Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said the fire was under control by Sunday afternoon, but the massive plume of smoke, a chemical reaction, will probably be seen for "several days."

• The initial call came in early Sunday morning, McDaniel said, when a small fire began. That fire was initially contained but reignited.
• Water from a sprinkler system reacted with the chemicals, McDaniel said, prompting the plume that now looms along the city's horizon.
• The cloud of smoke was visible around 30 miles away from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

BioLab said in a statement its "teams are working around-the-clock to respond to the ongoing situation."

• As the company works with local authorities, it has also "deployed specialized teams from out of state to the site to bolster and support their efforts," per the company statement.
• In a statement Monday night, a BioLab representative said remediation efforts had "made significant progress throughout the day."

The cause of the fire had yet to be determined, officials said, but did not rule out the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which tore through the southeast.

Flashback: This is the third incident in seven years where a fire has ignited at the plant, according to the AJC.

• In 2004, smoke from the plant forced similar evacuations, per local reports.

Zoom out: Schools in surrounding areas have been closed due to the size of the evacuation zone and the closure of I-20, which was reopened Monday.

• Piedmont Rockdale Hospital remained open, but some patients were moved to other facilities, Sharon Webb, the director of the Emergency Management Agency for Rockdale County, said.

What we're watching: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, responding to an X post saying residents can see "haze and smell chlorine in town," wrote that Atlanta Fire Rescue will be deployed with "detectors to various spots east to see what is in the air."

• He added that "a change wind direction" may have blown "some of the Conyers fire residuals our way."

Go deeper: Massive fire at Illinois chemical plant prompts evacuations

Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements from Atlanta Fire Rescue and the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.