Thousands of people are under a shelter in place order after a major fire broke out at a chemical lab in Georgia.

The footage shows massive clouds of smoke saturating the sky in Conyers, Georgia, after a fire ignited at BioLab on Old Covington Highway on Sunday, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said.

Around 5am, a sprinkler at the facility malfunctioned and sprayed water on a chemical that sparked an explosion, Atlanta News First reported. 

The reaction led to a large, hazardous smoke cloud of smoke that began drifting to the northeast and prompted an evacuation.

This puts added pressure on Georgia’s emergency services as Hurricane Helene swept through the state.

A fire ignited at BioLab on Old Covington Highway in Georgia on Sunday

A fire ignited at BioLab on Old Covington Highway in Georgia on Sunday

The malfunction also caused a small fire on the roof of the building, but was contained before reigniting again. 

There is an evacuation order in effect for anyone between Sigman Road and I-20, county officials said. 

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