Nearer to the plant in Rockdale County, residents north of Interstate 20 were ordered to evacuate on Sunday, while others were told to shelter in place. But residents of Atlanta's densely populated eastern suburbs in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties also reported seeing a haze or the strong smell of chlorine.

Some residents east of Atlanta are still sheltering in place on Monday, while more than 17,000 have been evacuated a day after a fire at a chemical plant produced lingering dark smoke and haze in the air that could be seen from miles away.