Residents within a one-mile radius of an Illinois chemical plant were evacuated from their homes and businesses after an explosion and fire erupted at the plant.
CHICAGO -- An explosion at a northern Illinois chemical plant Monday morning sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations.
The plumes became so big they were being picked up on weather radar. Wilson said there was “no danger to air quality at ground level.” Wilson said firefighters had stopped using water to extinguish the blaze to prevent an “environmental nightmare” if the runoff were to enter the nearby Rock River.“We can’t speculate how long it will take to put out the fire,” he said. ”We ask that the public be patient with us.”
One of those residents was 29-year-old Alyssa King. She said after she walked outside to see black smoke and what appeared to be pieces of cardboard boxes and “small chunks of the building” falling from the sky, she called a police non-emergency line. “You gotta go,” she said she was told.John Kim of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the quality of the air near the burning plant is a primary concern for his agency.
“We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions,” it said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Illinois chemical plant explosion causes massive fire, prompts area evacuationsIn a statement issued by the Rockton Police Department, they said that Rockton Fire 'has ordered a mandatory evacuation due to a chemical fire.'
Read more »
Chemical fire in Illinois prompts authorities to order evacuationsAuthorities have ordered people near an industrial fire in Illinois to evacuate. The fire broke out at Chemtool Inc., in Rockton, a city about 15 miles north of Rockford near the Illinois and Wisconsin state line.
Read more »
Rockton Chemtool explosion causes major fire, smoke at chemical plantSmoke from the fire at a Chemtool manufacturing plant in Rockton, Illinois could be seen on radar earlier this morning:
Read more »
Video shows flames engulfing a chemical plant in Northern IllinoisEvacuations were ordered near the plant, owned by Chemtool Inc., a company that produces greases, lubricants, metal working fluids and cleaners.
Read more »
Brutal heatwave to descend on U.S. West, prompting fire warningsA heatwave already punishing parts of the U.S. Southwest on Monday was expected to move into California this week, prompting the forecasters to warn of health and fire dangers.
Read more »