Residents of Rockdale County demand answers after BioLab chemical fire

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — Thousands of residents of Rockdale County are demanding answers days after a fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was near the plant Tuesday night and he said just being outside smelled like he was standing in a giant indoor pool with the potent smell of chlorine in the air.

Earlier in the evening Seiden visited Johnson Park where he saw Rockdale County resident Victoria Rogers getting in some exercise.

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She came out for a walk in the park despite warnings from health leaders to shelter in place.

“I’m not going to be out as long as I normally try to be. I might do one more lap,” she said.

Rogers said she was out running errands on Sunday afternoon when she saw the huge plume of smoke rising from the plant.

“Honestly, I thought Jesus was coming back,” she said about her reaction to first seeing the skies filled with dark smoke.

She said she drove home and within hours the smell of chlorine had consumed her apartment.

It got so bad she said she had no choice but to evacuate.

“Something’s gotta be done about it because it was an inconvenience for a lot of people because I missed work yesterday,” she said.

Rockdale County officials held a news conference where the fire chief said an initial plan to remove the chemicals that caused the problem at the plant failed.

“The new plan is to bring in rolling containers to offload some of the product a little at a time,” Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said.

Officials said that despite the odor of chlorine, the air quality isn’t hazardous.

The same goes for the water supply.

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“I can safely tell you that our water here in Rockdale County is safe to drink,” Kimbry Peek with Rockdale Water Resources said.

At least six complaints were filed against BioLab, the company that owns the factory, and Kik Consumer Products.

The lawsuits focus on health and property-related issues.

Channel 2 Action News has contacted both companies for comment but has not received a response from either.

In neighboring Newton County, students will go to school on a two-hour delay on Wednesday after the district closed schools on Monday and Tuesday.

Rockdale County Schools is on fall break this week.

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