Evacuations Ordered After Chemical Plant Rocked by Explosions, ‘Big Fire’

The Symrise Chemical Plant on Colonel's Island, Georgia, erupted into flames on Nov. 7, 2022. (Glynn County Sheriff’s Office)

Authorities in Georgia ordered evacuations of neighborhoods following a large fire at a chemical plant near Brunswick on the morning of Nov. 7.

The blaze and explosions at the Symrise production site on Colonels Island were reported at 4 a.m., Glynn County officials said in a statement. The Symrise Chemical Plant produces more than 34,000 products—including beverages, pet food, nutritional items, oral care products, and perfumes—that are distributed to 150 countries, according to its website.

“Given first estimates, no one got injured and there is no danger to employees or residents,” the statement read.

“As a preventive measure, they have evacuated the property and the neighborhood in a one-mile radius.

“The fire occurred during the regular production hours for the manufacture of fragrance ingredients. Currently Symrise has no reason to believe that the fire will cause additional health hazards to the local community.”

Glynn County Communications Director Katie Baasen told First Coast News that the blaze had been contained, but it remained a “big fire.”

County authorities said that Symrise will cooperate and support local authorities in determining the cause of the blaze.

A photo published online by the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office shows large plumes of smoke rising from the beleaguered facility.

“It was just a lot of smoke,” Keith Rathbun, a witness, told News4Jax. “We sat there for a little bit and all you could see was smoke and the fire trucks just kept rolling in. ... Nobody told us what was going on. I didn’t know. None of us knew what was going on until we got inside the port here, and then the Port Authority told me what was going on.”

Officials told the News4Jax that an estimated 100 households were asked to evacuate.

In a statement to Fox News, the company said that local fire brigades and the police had the situation full under control at the site.