BioLab plant fire: More than 90K sheltering in place in Georgia as 'strong chemical smell' enters Atlanta area | 30 Sept 2024 | Authorities are now reporting a "strong chemical smell" in the Atlanta area following a chemical plant fire east of Georgia's capital city that has forced more than 90,000 residents to remain sheltered in place Monday after the "harmful irritant chlorine" was detected in the air. The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency announced this morning that it is continuing "to investigate the numerous reports of a haze and strong chemical smell across Fulton County, likely related to the BioLab fire" that broke out in Conyers on Sunday. BioLab is a company that produces pool chemicals, according to its website. The government in Rockdale County, where Conyers is located, ordered residents to remain sheltered in place on Monday after testing from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division revealed the presence of the "harmful irritant chlorine" in the "air emitting from the incident location of BioLab."