ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A chemical fire in Rockdale County has caused the closure of several county and city offices, as well as schools nearby.

It all started around 5:30 a.m. Sunday when a sprinkler system malfunctioned inside the Biolab facility along Old Covington Highway, which seems to have mixed with a chemical creating a plume. You can see the smoke billowing miles into the sky.

The fire has caused evacuations of people who live nearby and a shelter-in-place was ordered for all county residents until midnight.

Here is a list of closures for Monday:

• Rockdale County Courthouse and Court Services Annexes
• Rockdale County Tax Commissioner’s Office
• Rockdale County Board of Commissioners Office
• Rockdale County Administration Building
• Rockdale County Planning and Development Department
• Rockdale County Stormwater Department
• Rockdale County Water Resources (RWR)
• Rockdale County Extension Services
• Rockdale County Elections Office
• Rockdale County Senior Services
• Rockdale County Animal Services
• Newton County Schools and offices
• Newton County government offices, however, the Newton County Judicial Center will remain open.
• Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s Newton and Rockdale campuses will be closed until further notice.
• Rockdale County Schools are off this week, with 12-hour staff to work remotely.