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BioLab plant fire: Georgia residents evacuate as toxic smoke billows from chemical-fueled inferno

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BioLab plant fire: Georgia residents evacuate as toxic smoke billows from chemical-fueled inferno


Georgia officials are asking some residents to evacuate after a fire at a chemical plant started spreading toxic smoke on Sunday.

The fire began at the BioLab plant in Conyers – which is located around 32 miles southeast of Atlanta – at 5 a.m. on Sunday, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. BioLab is a company that produces pool chemicals, according to its website.

BioLab told Fox News Digital that they are “actively responding” to the incident.

“Our employees are accounted for with no injuries reported,” a spokesperson said. “Our team is on the scene, working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation. As always, the safety of our community remains our top priority.”

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MISSOURI OFFICIALS RESPOND TO REPORTS OF FIREWORKS WAREHOUSE IN FLAMES

Some Georgia residents are evacuating after the BioLab plant in Conyers caught fire on Sunday. (Ian Stinson via Storyful)

By the afternoon, the smoke clouds were emanating from the facility and huge billows of multicolored clouds still polluted the air. During a press conference on Sunday morning, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said that a sprinkler head at the facility malfunctioned and “caus[ed] a mixture with a water reactive chemical.”

Social media video of the fire shows gigantic clouds of smoke visible from I-20, which had been blocked off between Salem Road and Turner Hill on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say that those who live south of I-20 are safe, but those who live north of I-20 or between I-20 and Sigman Road are asked to evacuate.

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“Please evacuate the area if you are inside this zone,” Rockdale County officials said in a Facebook post. “I-20 will be blocked off in both directions between Salem Rd and Turner Hill.”

MARYLAND FAMILY’S SUV BURSTS INTO FLAMES WHILE THEY SLEPT, VIDEO SHOWS: ‘WE WERE TERRIFIED’

The fire began at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, on Sunday morning. (Ian Stinson via Storyful)

During a Sunday press conference, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett told residents that “this is not the time to do any type of sightseeing.”

“We are strongly encouraging everyone, no matter where you’re coming from, but especially Rockdale residents, to stay out of this area for the safety of yourself, and for the safety of all personnel that are out here already that have to work this type of incident,” the official advised.

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The Rockdale County Animal Services asked residents within the evacuation area to bring their animals along with them.

“Please, if you’re in the evacuation area, take your pets with you. Please do not leave them behind,” the organization said. “We are loaded and getting the 50+ shelter animals out of the area and to safety.”

Residents within the evacuation zone are asked to leave their homes. (Ian Stinson via Storyful)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office for additional information.

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Fox News Digital’s Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.



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Kentucky

Cumberland Falls’ renowned moonbow draws visitors from across the country to Kentucky

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Cumberland Falls’ renowned moonbow draws visitors from across the country to Kentucky


CORBIN, Ky. (WTVF) — Road trippers are pouring in from across the country to Cumberland Falls near Corbin, Kentucky, for one of the rarest sights in nature.

“I would have never thought in Kentucky there was a waterfall like this,” Josh Sharp, a tourist from Ohio, said. “How often do you see nature like this?”

Alan Jett, a tourist from Pennsylvania, said his wife spotted the destination while looking at a map. “It’s gorgeous, it really is,” Jett said.

But it is not just the 70 foot waterfall drawing the crowds. It is the moonbow, that appears alongside it during the light of a full moon, that has every cabin booked and the phone at the park ringing nonstop.

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“People are here for the moonbow,” Maggy Kriebel, park manager at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, said. “Cumberland Falls is the only place in the Western Hemisphere that you can see a regularly occurring moonbow.”

A moonbow is similar to a daytime rainbow, but instead of sunlight, the colors come from moonlight. “The moon lines up just right with this mist off this waterfall,” professional photographer Max Caswell said.

Caswell enjoys capturing moonbows so much that he arrived hours early just to secure a spot along the river, checking conditions before the show began.

“I was actually looking to see how much mist was running down river,” Caswell said.

The wait, however, requires patience.”It’s going to be another hour and a half at least,” Caswell said. “The moon’s just now at the horizon.”

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As darkness fell and the full moon rose above the trees, hundreds gathered to witness the spectacle. To the naked eye, the moonbow appears as a ghostly white arc, but cameras with long exposure settings reveal it bursting with color. “Boy that looks really good now. It’s brightening up a lot!” Caswell said.

By the end of the night, the display did not disappoint. “You can actually kind of see almost a double [moonbow] starting right there,” Caswell said, showing us one of his pictures.

According to the park, Cumberland Falls is the only place on this side of the world to catch almost monthly moonbows. The only other location where moonbows can be seen regularly is Victoria Falls in Africa.

Weather permitting, a moonbow is visible at Cumberland Falls every full moon — and that is what keeps photographers like Caswell coming back. “You never know what to expect. You don’t know if it’s going to be spot on. But that’s what keeps you going back out there and trying to chase that perfect shot,” Caswell said.

2026 Cumberland Falls moonbow dates

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park has released its 2026 moonbow viewing schedule. All times are approximate (in the Eastern Time Zone) and based on the evening of arrival.

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July

  • July 1: 12:30 am – 2:30 am
  • July 27: 10:00 am – 12:00 am
  • July 28: 10:30 pm – 12:30 am
  • July 29: 11:00 pm – 1:00 am
  • July 30: 11:30 pm – 1:30 am
  • July 31: 12:00 am – 2:00 am

August

  • Aug. 26: 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
  • Aug. 27: 10:00 pm – 12:00 am
  • Aug. 28: 10:30 pm – 12:30 am
  • Aug. 29: 11:00 pm – 1:00 am
  • Aug. 30: 11:30 pm – 1:30 am

September

  • Sept. 24: 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
  • Sept. 25: 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm
  • Sept. 26: 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
  • Sept. 27: 10:00 pm – 12:00 am
  • Sept. 28: 10:30 pm – 12:30 am

October

  • Oct. 24: 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
  • Oct. 25: 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
  • Oct. 26: 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm
  • Oct. 27: 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
  • Oct. 28: 10:30 pm – 12:30 am

November

  • Nov. 22: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
  • Nov. 23: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
  • Nov. 24: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
  • Nov. 25: 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
  • Nov. 26: 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm

December

  • Dec. 21: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • Dec. 22: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
  • Dec. 23: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
  • Dec. 24: 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
  • Dec. 25: 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm

Do you have any great shots from recent Moonbows at Cumberland Falls, Kentucky? Share them with me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.

Tenn. seniors make a splash on a giant slip-and-slide

A slip-and-slide for seniors?! Who knew it could stir laughter and tears. Photojournalist Angie Dones captures a story filled with so much joy and one that will tug at your heartstrings.

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– Carrie Sharp





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Louisiana

Louisiana summers are getting hotter and more humid, researchers say

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Louisiana summers are getting hotter and more humid, researchers say


NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana’s summer heat is becoming harder to ignore, with rising temperatures, higher humidity and thousands of heat-related emergency room visits in recent years.

Across all 64 parishes, average summer temperatures have risen since 1970, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit research group.

In 2023, Louisiana reported a record-breaking 88 heat-related deaths, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. More than 6,100 people went to emergency rooms that year because of heat-related symptoms.

Tony Coker felt how quickly that heat can become dangerous while working his landscaping job last week.

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Coker was among a crew cutting grass near LSU’s School of Public Health in New Orleans. He said the heat forced him to stop working.

“I got to a point, I was like, ‘OK guys, you’re going to have to finish. I’m done. My stomach is hurting. I’m sitting down for a minute and I’m going to go home,’” Coker said.

During Louisiana’s often-brutal summers, Coker takes steps to protect himself while working his landscaping job.

“I got this hat on. It’s a little hotter with long sleeves, but it keeps the sun off the body. I wear sunscreen to make sure to get as much protection as possible, you know 100 SPF,” Coker said.

Heat safety

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Heat illness in Louisiana

Heat-related illness has sent thousands of people to emergency rooms in Louisiana in recent years.

Heat-related deaths

  • 2023: 88 deaths
  • 2024: 53 deaths
  • 2025: 31 deaths

Emergency room visits

  • 2023: 6,187 visits
  • 2024: 4,471 visits
  • 2025: 4,194 visits
  • 2026: 935 visits as of June 30

Signs of heat illness

  • Heavy sweating
  • Weakness or dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Muscle cramps
  • Confusion
  • Fainting

How to stay safe

  • Drink water before you feel thirsty
  • Take breaks in shade or air conditioning
  • Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing
  • Limit strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day
  • Check on older adults, children and people without reliable air conditioning

Call 911 if someone is confused, faints, stops sweating or shows signs of heat stroke.

Source: Louisiana Department of Health

According to Climate Central, a nonprofit research group, the average annual temperature in New Orleans has risen by 4.5 degrees since 1970.

The group’s newest summer analysis shows the warming is not limited to New Orleans. Among Louisiana cities analyzed, Shreveport has seen the largest increase in average summer temperatures since 1970, at 4.3 degrees, followed by New Orleans at 4.1 degrees. New Orleans, however, saw the largest increase in hotter-than-normal summer days, with 53 more days above normal than in the early 1970s.

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Climate Central’s parish-level data shows average summer temperature increases ranging from 1.4 degrees in Avoyelles and Evangeline parishes to 3.1 degrees in Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Sabine and Terrebonne parishes.

In Orleans Parish, average summer temperatures have risen by 2.5 degrees since 1970, according to Climate Central’s parish-level data.

“It was relatively cool in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and then we went on this rapid warming trend, mimicking what’s going on across the globe, and it’s been very hot,” said Dr. Barry Keim, professor and program director of environmental health, climate and sustainability at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans.

Keim, a climatologist, said Louisiana’s humidity makes the heat feel even worse. He said humidity levels have also risen since the 1970s.

“Bottom line is, not only are the temperatures getting warmer, the humidity is going up, and then when you put the two together it just makes it feel horrible out here,” Keim said.

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As the Fourth of July approaches, Keim said there will not be much relief in the form of rain. Louisiana is expected to stay hot and humid.

Forecasts show highs mainly in the low to mid-90s across Louisiana on Independence Day, with heat index values expected to reach the 100s in parts of the state and scattered afternoon storms possible

Copyright 2026 WVUE. All rights reserved.



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Maryland

Teen allegedly hits off-duty officer, crashes into Maryland home

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Teen allegedly hits off-duty officer, crashes into Maryland home


Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Department of Police.

A 15-year-old driver is in custody after allegedly striking an off-duty police officer’s vehicle and subsequently crashing into a residential home in Montgomery County.

What we know:

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According to the Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD), Fourth District officers responded to the 12800 block of Bushey Drive following reports of a vehicle colliding with a house.

Preliminary investigations reveal the incident began earlier when the teenage driver was allegedly involved in an initial collision with an off-duty police officer. Rather than stopping, the 15-year-old sped away from the scene, police say. The brief flight ended when the driver lost control and crashed directly into a nearby home.

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Authorities confirmed that two other occupants who were inside the vehicle fled the scene on foot immediately after the house crash and remain at large.

The off-duty officer involved in the initial collision did not require transport to a hospital, according to police. 

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue services remained on the scene for several hours working to safely extract the vehicle from the structure.

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What we don’t know:

The incident remains under investigation.

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The Source: Information from the Montgomery County Department of Police. 

Maryland CrimeNewsMontgomery CountyCrime and Public SafetyMaryland



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