A fire at a chemical manufacturing facility east of Atlanta has led to mandatory evacuations in the surrounding area, local officials report.

According to county officials on their website, a fire on the roof of the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, reignited when water from a faulty sprinkler system came into contact with a chemical that reacts to water, causing a large plume of smoke.

Conyers is situated approximately 24 miles east of Atlanta.

The blaze, which first broke out at 5 a.m. ET, was initially brought under control earlier in the day, as stated by Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett.

“I urge everyone to help spread the word to stay away from this area for the time being,” Levett stated. “It’s still burning quite intensely. We are working to manage the fire, but we also need to maintain traffic conditions.”

Residents in Conyers, particularly those between Interstate 20 and Sigman Rd., are in an evacuation zone, and several streets in the vicinity have been closed.

The health departments of Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale have instructed local residents to turn off their air conditioning systems and stay indoors to reduce the risk of exposure to potential dangers, as outlined in a post on X.

The chemical facility, which produces pool and spa chemicals, experienced a fire back in 2020. An inquiry by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board attributed that incident to a “thermal decomposition event,” which resulted in another fire that affected Interstate 20.

KIK Consumer Products, the parent company of BioLab, confirmed they are currently investigating the situation and reported that no employees were harmed, as stated in a release to YSL News.

This story is still developing and will be updated as new information becomes available.