During a new conference, Hall County Fire Services spokesman Zach Brackett said that multiple agencies responded to the incident at Prime Pak Foods shortly after 10 a.m.

When crews arrived, it was determined that the incident involved hazardous materials and a hazmat team was brought in. Firefighters discovered a large number of employees who had evacuated the building.

Officials had initially reported there was an “explosion,” but investigators now say it was just a leak.

Gainesville police, who assisted the county fire department, tweeted that Memorial Park Drive from Browns Bridge Road to Atlanta Highway is closed and are asking everyone to avoid the area.

During an afternoon briefing, officials announced that one of the people taken to a nearby hospital had died, bringing the death toll to six. Of those in the hospital, three remain in critical condition and five are in fair condition.

Four firefighters were among those taken to the hospital. Three were from Gainesville Fire and the other from Hall County Fire Services.

At least 130 people were taken to a nearby church to be evaluated by medical personnel from Northeast Georgia Health Systems and one was later transported to the hospital. Brackett informed Newsweek the group has since been released.

The health system has seen hundreds of COVID-19 patients since late last year, peaking at 355 patients early January. But as hospitalizations have begun to fall, hospital spokesperson Sean Couch ensured that resources are not strained and that capacity was not an issue for transporting those that required medical care.

A shelter-in-place order was also issued for nearby Lyman Hall Elementary School “out of an abundance of caution” by the county’s emergency management department.

“The leak is contained and not airborne,” Hall County School District said in a Facebook post.

Parents had initially been asked to avoid trying to pick up their children from the school at this time “as traffic may delay their efforts,” but school officials said classes would still be dismissed at its regular time of 2:20 p.m.

“All students are indoors and safe,” the school system said. “We will notify parents once the shelter in place has been lifted.”

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office will be handling the death investigations. The Georgia Fire Marshal’s Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are on scene. Another press conference is scheduled to be held at 3:30 p.m.