A massive explosion at a chemical plant in Georgia caused a huge plume of smoke, and authorities have instructed residents and businesses to shelter in place.

More than 90,000 residents in a county east of Atlanta were told to keep sheltering in place Monday and businesses were told to stay closed a day after a chemical plant fire sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could been seen for miles.

Rockdale County officials ordered people to evacuate the area near the BioLab plant in Conyers, Ga., and they said others should stay home to avoid the “harmful irritant chlorine.”

Thousands of people were evacuated Sunday when a chemical plant fire sent a large, hazardous plume of smoke into the air about 30 miles east of Atlanta. It's unclear when residents can return home.

Some residents east of Atlanta were evacuated and others told to shelter in place after a fire at a chemical plant. Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters that a sprinkler head malfunctioned around 5 a.

Thousands of people were told to stay home with their windows shut Monday after a fire at a Georgia industrial plant caused a chemical reaction that prompted around 17,000 people to evacuate Sunday and left potentially harmful chlorine lingering in the air.

More than 90,000 residents east of Atlanta were told to keep sheltering in place Monday a day after a chemical plant fire sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could been seen for miles.

A weekend fire that sent a massive plume of dark smoke into the Georgia sky has led to complaints about a strong chemical smell and haze several miles away across metro Atlanta