Some residents east of Atlanta<\/a> were evacuated while others were told to shelter in place Sunday to avoid contaminants from a chemical plant fire that sent a massive tower of dark smoke into the air that could be seen from miles away.<\/p>\n Interstate 20 was shut down in both directions in the area, the Georgia<\/a> department of transportation said in a post on X. Reports said traffic was snarled as vehicles backed up in the area.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8RED ALERT\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n Rockdale Co.: I-20\/eb\/wb between Turner Hill Rd. and West Ave. Nearby chemical fire continues to shut down I-20 in each direction. AVOID. Use Hwy. 78 or Hwy. 212 as alternates. #ATLtraffic<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/j3Zs3Dkc37<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Triple Team Traffic (@WSBTraffic) September 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n “}}”><\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8RED ALERT\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n Rockdale Co.: I-20\/eb\/wb between Turner Hill Rd. and West Ave. Nearby chemical fire continues to shut down I-20 in each direction. AVOID. Use Hwy. 78 or Hwy. 212 as alternates. #ATLtraffic<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/j3Zs3Dkc37<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Triple Team Traffic (@WSBTraffic) September 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n <\/gu-island><\/figure>\n The fire ignited when a sprinkler head malfunctioned around 5am Sunday at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Rockdale county fire chief Marian McDaniel told reporters. The malfunction caused water to mix with a water-reactive chemical, producing a plume of chemicals.<\/p>\n\n