Neighborhoods near a chemical plant in Georgia where a large fire was burning were evacuated on Monday. The fire sent a thick plume of smoke into the air from the plant, located outside the port city of Brunswick, about 70 miles south of Savannah.
Smoke hazards and a risk of explosions prompted officials to order people to leave three neighborhoods within a 1-mile radius of the Symrise chemical plant, Glynn County government spokesperson Katie Baasen said. People within a 3-mile radius were being told to shelter in place.
The fire was initially reported just before 4 a.m. local time on Monday, the Glynn County board of commissioners said in a Facebook post, noting that the plant was evacuated.
Several hours after the orders were posted, officials estimated that about 100 households had evacuated.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries, the board of commissioners originally said on Facebook. Confirming the injury during a news conference, officials said the firefighter had been transported to a local hospital for exhaustion, and was in stable condition. No civilian injuries were reported, they said, and an estimated five or six employees at the chemical plant were accounted for after a safe evacuation.