BioLab fire: Schools and government offices closed due to air quality concerns

Officials say BioLab’s smoke plumes could persist for several days

About 17,000 residents were ordered to evacuate and more were forced to shelter in place as a precaution because of the Conyers BioLab chemical fire that broke out Sunday morning. Authorities say it may take several days for the smoke to subside.

ATLANTA – In response to a fire at a chemical plant in Rockdale County over the weekend, many metro Atlanta counties are making changes to school activities and government operations.

Officials in Gwinnett and Fulton counties say they are investigating reports of haze and chemical odors that may be caused by shifting winds around the Conyers chemtrail.

Here are the latest reports of closures and cancellations in metro Atlanta.

PHOTOS: Residents submit photos of ‘smoke’ after BioLab fire in Conyers

School changes and closures

Georgia Piedmont Technical College is closing its Newton and Rockdale campuses until further notice.

Newton County Schools are closed on Monday. While Rockdale County Public Schools is on fall break, all employees who were scheduled to work Monday will work remotely.

School officials in Fayette County say there will be no outdoor activities until Fayette County Emergency Services has full information. At the moment, afternoon classes have not been canceled.

Gwinnett County Public Schools has canceled all outdoor classes and events and prevented outside air from entering school buildings.

“Until air quality improves, we encourage all families and staff to limit time outdoors and keep windows and doors closed,” a spokesman for the Gwinnett County School System said in a statement.

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Rockdale County Government Offices Closing

Rockdale County has closed many government services while the county remains under shelter-in-place orders.

Rockdale County Courthouse and Court Services Annexes
Rockdale County District Attorney’s Office
Rockdale County Tax Commissioner’s Office
Rockdale County Commissioner’s Office
Rockdale County Administration Building
Rockdale County Planning and Development Department
Rockdale County Stormwater Department
Rockdale Water Resources (RWR)
Rockdale County Home Services
Rockdale County Elections Office
Rockdale County Senior Services
Rockdale County Animal Services

Businesses in the area were also strongly encouraged to close until authorities deemed it safe to do so.