Thousands of people were told to stay home with their windows shut Monday after a fire at a Georgia industrial plant caused a chemical reaction that prompted around 17,000 people to evacuate Sunday and left potentially harmful chlorine lingering in the air.

People in the northern part of Rockdale County were ordered to evacuate and others were told to shelter in place with windows and doors closed.

A massive fire at a chemical plant in Georgia prompted the evacuation of 17,000 people, as well as a shelter-in-place order for many others. The shelter-in-place order for Rockdale County was extended indefinitely,

Emergency evacuations took place in Georgia following a chemical plant fire outside Atlanta that spewed potentially toxic smoke into the air.

More than 90,000 residents east of Atlanta were told to keep sheltering in place Monday a day after a chemical plant fire sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could been seen for miles.

"If you have concerns, stay inside, close windows and doors, and turn off ventilation systems,” Atlanta's mayor advised