Georgia Chemical Fire Leaves 90,000 Sheltering in Place After Massive Smoke Plume

Over 90,000 Georgia residents have been ordered to shelter in place after a massive fire at a chemical plant sent up a sky-high plume of smoke ... which could easily be seen for miles.

While around 17,000 residents were evacuated from the area, countless others have been urged to stay home, shut their windows and doors, and turn off the A/C ... given the state of the air quality following Sunday's fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia.

The Rockdale County Government said the Environmental Protection Agency and the state's Environmental Protection Division "revealed the harmful irritant chlorine" was detected in the air following the blaze ... which was reportedly sparked by a malfunctioning sprinkler head.

According to Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel, the fire ignited around 5 AM Sunday, when water mixed with a water-reactive chemical at the plant.

Both the Fire Chief and BioLab -- the swimming pool and spa water care division for KIK Consumer Products -- have said there were no injuries in the fire ... though, employees were inside the plant at the time of the fire.

The malfunction grew to a fiery plume ... which you can see in the harrowing video above, and prompted officials to shut down Interstate 20 all day Sunday.

The highway reopened Monday morning ... though, roads in neighboring areas still remain closed.

The fire itself was contained by late afternoon Sunday, with the company noting they are working closely with first responders and local authorities.