BioLab to face lawsuit by Rockdale County after fire at plant resulted in release of chemical 'plume'

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Video shows huge smoke clouds from chemical plant fire in Georgia

Georgia officials are evacuating residents after a fire at a chemical plant started spreading toxic smoke on Sunday. (Credit: Ian Stinson via Storyful)

Rockdale County will slap BioLab with a lawsuit following a chemical release and fire that erupted last month at a facility in Conyers, Georgia.

During a press conference on Monday morning, county commissioner Sherri Washington said that the county board of commissioners has engaged the firm Napoli Shkolnik to lodge a federal lawsuit.

"BioLab has had at least four instances of negligence in the 20 years that it has operated in this community," she said, adding that "at this point their risk to our community far outweighs any benefit that we could possibly glean from their operation in this county."

"I will fight until my last breath to have them removed," she declared.

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The fire began at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, on Sept. 29. (Ian Stinson via Storyful)

Rockdale County commissioner Doreen Williams said that her family had to evacuate. 

"If you could see the picture of that plume going over our house, you would understand the seriousness of this," she said.

During a Sept. 29 press conference, Rockdale County Fire Rescue Chief Marian McDaniel said there had been a sprinkler head malfunction, and that a "water-reactive chemical" caused a "plume."

She said after the sprinkler activated, "it mixed with that chemical, and from that the wiring and things" led to the fire. "So it was contained to a small area on the roof, and was contained quite quickly," she said.

Earlier this month, BioLab said that chemicals were released during the fire.

"The fire and the water used to extinguish it resulted in smoke emanating from the facility. Additionally, when the chemicals stored in our facility come into contact with water, they slowly release chlorine – as they are intended to do when sanitizing a swimming pool. This release, and the water that was needed to control it, have contributed to the ongoing visible haze over our facility," the company said on Oct. 4.

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Some Georgia residents evacuated after the fire broke out at the BioLab plant in Conyers. (Ian Stinson via Storyful)

BioLab said in a later press release, "The chemicals at the site have been treated and/or secured, the site is no longer producing fumes, and the EPA has recorded 72 hours of no air quality exceedances in the community."

The shelter-in-place order was lifted for the full county as of Oct. 17, according to a Rockdale County press release.

"Our primary focus will be on BioLab and its parent company, KIK Consumer products, and holding them accountable for any negligence or misconduct that we uncover," Shayna Sacks, a partner with Napoli Shkolnik, said during the press conference. "We'll be seeking comprehensive remediation of all the affected areas, and pursuing fair compensation for damages to the county and its residents."

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A large plume of smoke rises above a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia, on Sunday, Sept. 29. (Alvarez Kennedy/Reuters)

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, a BioLab spokesperson said, "We have not seen the complaint yet and so it would be inappropriate for us to comment, other than to note that BioLab worked collaboratively with the County and other parties as part of the Unified Command to successfully complete the emergency response operations at our Conyers facility, while at all times prioritizing public health and safety. We also worked diligently alongside the County to quickly stand up support resources for community members – including a process to be reimbursed for expenses related to the incident – and we remain fully committed to making things right for impacted area residents and business owners."