ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – An incident at a Rockdale County chemical facility has closed a section of Interstate 20 between Augusta and Atlanta.

It also prompted a shelter-in-place order, evacuations and other road closures, officials said.

Around 5 a.m., a sprinkler at the BioLab facility on Old Covington Highway in Conyers malfunctioned and sprayed water on a chemical, causing a reaction that created a large, hazardous smoke plume, which then began drifting to the northeast, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said shortly after 10 a.m.

The malfunction also caused a small fire on the BioLab roof, which was contained, McDaniel said.

The fire has since reignited, and a huge plume of smoke is billowing from the facility, prompting an evacuation order for anyone between Sigman Road and I-20, according to county officials. Anyone in the evacuation zone needs to leave the area, officials said. Anyone outside the zone is asked to stay away.

Officials said I-20 would be blocked off in both directions between Salem Road and Turner Hill. The Georgia State Patrol has been called in to help with traffic control in the area, the sheriff’s office said.

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency has issued a shelter-in-place order on behalf of the Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency for residents in the north half of the county, above Sigman Road. Those residents should remain indoors with the windows and doors closed, and should turn off their air conditioners.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Across the CSRA restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations have been impacted by Helene.

We’re On Your Side with what’s open. We’ll continue to update this list with places and timestamps.

Gas stations:

• As of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Costco Gas station
• As of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Pilot Travel Center on Gun Club Road
• As of 11:20 a.m. Sunday, Enmarket, 12545 Heritage Highway, Bamberg, S.C.
• As of 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Circle K on Jimmie Dyess.
• As of 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Golden Pantry on Lincolnton Road

Grocery stores:

• As of Saturday, Kroger on Washington Road
• As of Saturday, Publix on Washington Road
• As of Saturday, Walmart in Evans.
• As of Saturday, Publix on Furys Ferry
• As of Saturday, Lowe’s in Columbia County
• As of Saturday, Edgefield Butcher Shop
• As of 11 a.m. Sunday, Walmart in Swainsboro was open for groceries only. No gas.
• Piggly Wiggly in Bamberg County

Restaurants:

• Toaste Augusta
• As of Saturday, Pool Room in Edgefield
• As of Sunday at noon, Okinawa: Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bowl is open for dine-in and takeout services. Cash only. They cannot accept call-in orders.

Other:

• Twin City Home & Hardware, 10 GA-192, is open. They plan to be there until 4 p.m. Sunday. Cash only. Bring a flashlight and patience. They had charcoal, extension cords, flashlights batteries and more.
• The Barnwell County YMCA will be open Sunday from 1-5 p.m. for showers, WiFi and charging devices only.
• Salvation Army feeding locations for Sunday until 1 p.m.: Odell Weeks Parking Lot, Salvation Army Soup Kitchen at 604 Park Avenue and the Salvation Army Office, 322 Gayle Avenue.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Leaders in Augusta and other communities grappling with recovery from Hurricane Helene are urging people to conserve water – but they disavow rumors going around that they’ll shut off water use after a certain hour.

The rumors of water shutoff took flight Saturday, apparently fueled by social media.

That led Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson to make a statement at a news conference that the rumor was not true.

The rumor was perhaps fueled by a mixture of a curfew that’s been ordered as well as a request to conserve water.

But Johnson said at a news conference Saturday that it’s absolutely not true that either the city of Augusta or neighboring Columbia County will cut off water use for people.

He said it’s true that city officials are asking the public to conserve water.

And it’s true that in some cases utility workers have to isolate some water mains long enough to repair them, though that’s hard because of all the uprooted trees.

But the city is working to provide as much water as possible, he said.

Despite that claim, News 12 has gotten phone calls from viewers in south Augusta who complain that their water flow is down to a trickle, if that.

Requests for water conservation are being made by communities across the CSRA as widespread electrical outages continue. That’s electricity that normally pumps water from wells and refills water tanks.

Leaders want to keep water tanks as full as possible to meet demand, so they are asking people not to water their yards and to otherwise conserve water.

Among the requests:

• The cities of Girard, Vidette and Waynesboro request that water be conserved. If you need water, bring clean containers with lids and go to Burke County Emergency Management Agency stations at Spring Branch Church Road, Hephzibah-Keysville Road, Highway 305 in Gough, Story Mill Road, Highway 56 South between Waynesboro and Midville, and EMA headquarters in Waynesboro. Water is available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at these stations.
• The Allendale Water Department posted these tips on how to conserve water on a daily basis both inside and out, including turning off the water when brushing your teeth or shaving, reducing flushing and using washing machines for full loads only.
• The Edgefield County Water and Sewer is asking all customers to conserve water in the aftermath of Helene. All facilities are currently operating on generator power, but fuel supplies are limited at this time. Please use water for cooking, bathing and bathroom use only.
• The New Ellenton Commission of Public Works asks its customers to conserve water until power is restored. This will help the utility conserve water that’s currently in the tanks.
• Also asking for conservation of water is the Montmorenci-Couchton Water & Sewer District. Without power, the utility can’t operate its wells to pump water back into the tanks.
• The water system lost pressure in Jackson, and officials on Saturday asked that when service resumes, boil water before consuming it until further notice.

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