Massive blaze guts auto body shop in Rockdale County, smoke visible for miles
Auto shop gutted after massive fire
Firefighters faced challenging conditions, including heavy rain, while battling the blaze and blocked off Iris Drive to prevent the fire from reigniting. The fire is not related to the previous BioLab incident, and the cause of the fire and any potential injuries have not been disclosed by authorities.
CONYERS, Ga. - A massive fire tore through a semi-truck service and sales center in Rockdale County on Thursday evening.
What we know:
The smoke could be seen for miles billowing from MHC Kenworth located in the 1600 block of Iris Drive SW just before 6 p.m. drawing concern from residents still shaken by the BioLab fire less than a year ago.
The facility specializes in sales and maintenance of semi-trucks.
Crews battled the flames amid heavy rain and difficult conditions, working late into the night to ensure the fire did not reignite. Firefighters blocked off Iris Drive from Klondike Road to Smyrna Road, near Interstate 20, as smoke spread across the area.
Auto shop gutted after massive fire
Firefighters faced challenging conditions, including heavy rain, while battling the blaze and blocked off Iris Drive to prevent the fire from reigniting. The fire is not related to the previous BioLab incident, and the cause of the fire and any potential injuries have not been disclosed by authorities.
What they're saying:
"A lot of smoke, fire everywhere, just bad," said Alexis Massey, who lives less than a mile from the site. "I need to evacuate my house, because I live right behind."
Big picture view:
The scene of the fire is close to the BioLab chemical plant that caught fire last September, sending a plume of orange and black smoke into the sky. Although the BioLab facility announced in the spring that it would close its Conyers plant, some residents initially feared the worst when they saw the smoke on Thursday.
Officials emphasized the fire at MHC Kenworth is not related to the BioLab incident.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released the cause of the fire or confirmed whether anyone was injured.
The Source: The details in this article come from Rockdale County officials. This story has been updated since it was originally published to provide new details. Additional details were gathered at the scene by FOX 5's Christopher King.