Fire, risk of explosions prompt evacuations near Georgia chemical plant

Neighborhoods near a chemical plant in Georgia where a large fire was burning were evacuated on Monday. The fire sent a thick plume of smoke into the air from the plant, located outside the port city of Brunswick, about 70 miles south of Savannah.

Smoke hazards and a risk of explosions prompted officials to order people to leave three neighborhoods within a 1-mile radius of the Symrise chemical plant, Glynn County government spokesperson Katie Baasen said. People within a 3-mile radius were being told to shelter in place.

The fire was initially reported just before 4 a.m. local time on Monday, the Glynn County board of commissioners said in a Facebook post, noting that the plant was evacuated. 

Several hours after the orders were posted, officials estimated that about 100 households had evacuated.

One firefighter sustained minor injuries, the board of commissioners originally said on Facebook. Confirming the injury during a news conference, officials said the firefighter had been transported to a local hospital for exhaustion, and was in stable condition. No civilian injuries were reported, they said, and an estimated five or six employees at the chemical plant were accounted for after a safe evacuation.

In nearby Camden County, emergency officials urged people in several areas to shelter in place and avoid outdoor activities.

The fire had been contained and was expected to burn itself out, Baasen said in an email message to The Associated Press. She said hazards from the smoke posed the largest concern.

Officers at the Glynn County Sheriff's Office responded to the chemical plant fire, and multiple explosions were reported before the fire was contained, according to CBS affiliate WTOC. The sheriff's office activated a code red alert that called a multi-agency fire detail to the scene, the station reported. 

As WTOC reported, fire officials confirmed that the chemical involved in the plant explosion has been identified as hydrogen peroxide pinene, a volatile chemical used in fragrances and mineral oils. However, details about the chemical explosions — officials said there were three — and what caused them remained unclear. Fire crews from Camden, Nahunta, Brunswick, and Jacksonville, Florida, as well as a regional hazmat team, were coordinating their response to the fire.

Because shifting winds remained a concern, even after the fire was contained, weather experts were called to the scene to monitor the situation. Officials do not believe that chemical particles, if any, released through smoke plumes pose threats to air quality or the community.

In:
• Georgia