CONYERS, Ga. — As a large chemical fire broke out in the early morning in Conyers on Sunday, a resident told 11Alive of how police came around to evacuate the area.
"I was very, very startled," the resident, Karina, told 11Alive Anchor Cheryl Preheim. "They were banging very, very hard and loud, they were screaming and saying 'Conyers Police, open up.'"
The frantic early morning scene played out not far from the BioLab facility where the fire broke out and then later reignited, according to Rockdale County authorities. Karin told 11Alive she lived within walking distance.
The company makes pool and spa treatments, and the chemicals involved in that process appeared to exacerbate the fire and send up jarring clouds of black and reddish smoke.
Karina told 11Alive she was worried about the presence of the chemicals.
"I definitely was concerned about the idea of the chemical fire because I live very, very close," she said. "And they (police) said that they weren't sure we'd be able to come back because of the chemical fire."
She said she's been living in the neighborhood for six months -- as has her brother and sister-in-law and their son. Karina described having to go over to their house with a key and go in to wake them up.
"We're currently at my mother's house out in Stone Mountain, we're waiting... to see if there's an update on anything so far, we haven't seen anything," she said. "7 a.m., waking up to that, it startled all of us definitely. Just want to be able to come back home and do what we need to do at home."
You can watch our clip with the full interview in the video above this story and in the YouTube player below.