Massive Georgia resin plant blaze forces evacuation, stay-at-home orders for city of Brunswick and St. Simons Island resort

Part of Georgia’s bucolic St. Simons Island was put under a stay-at-home order on Saturday evening when a plastic resin plant on the mainland went up in flames.

No word has been given yet on what ignited the fire at the Pinova plant in Brunswick, Ga., but large black billowing clouds could be seen overhead as authorities feared that strong winds could push the chemicals towards nearby residents, reported WSB, an Atlanta TV station.

“Alert: Due to wind conditions — a Shelter in Place has been advised for SSI [St. Simons Island] areas north of airport on SSI along with 1/2 mile radius of plant,” tweeted out Glynn County officials.

Besides covering much of St. Simons Island, the order also covered a residential area in Brunswick west of the plant.

St. Simons Island is a getaway for some affluent Georgians, and boasts luxury resorts in addition to high-end restaurants and golf courses.

The Brunswick Fire Department and Glynn County Fire Rescue first responded to the scene at 7 a.m. Saturday.

Firefighters appeared to have minimized the blaze after a couple of hours — but the conflagration resumed around 3 p.m..

Around 5:40 p.m., officials imposed the shelter-in-place order. The order was lifted at 10:08 p.m., county officials said.

Nearby roads were also closed so that the U.S. Forest Service could airdrop water onto the blaze. County officials expected two more airdrops could be possible later Saturday night.

Brunswick is about 80 miles south of Savannah, and has a population about 14,000 people.

The incident marks the second fire in just five months at a Brunswick plant. In November 2022, industrial fires sparked multiple explosions at a nearby chemical plant.