Conyers BioLab chemical fire update: Where cleanup, investigations, lawsuits stand

Smoke plumes on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 from a chemical plant in Conyers, Ga. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Months after a chemical fire released plumes of acrid smoke across metro Atlanta, forcing thousands to evacuate, BioLab has decided not to resume manufacturing at its Conyers plant.

But the company plans to continue to store hazardous chemicals on the site for distribution as efforts to hold it accountable for the Sept. 29 fire – and the cleanup – continue.

“Ultimately, depending on what the long-term health effects are for this community, I don’t know that we will ever be made whole,” said Madelyne Reece, a community leader and founder of the Stand Against BioLab in Rockdale County, Ga., Facebook group.