Evacuation order lifted after bomb found at Illinois ethanol plant

PEORIA (25News Now/Gray News) - An evacuation order was lifted after bomb teams found a bomb Friday night and rendered it safe at an ethanol plant in South Peoria, Illinois.

Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon made the announcement shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday. Officials ordered the evacuation of a one-mile blast radius of the plant shortly after 7 p.m. Friday.

The police department released the following statement:

“State, Federal, and Local Law Enforcement have done an extensive search of the BioUrja facility. They have found no other items of concern at this time. The evacuation order will no longer be in effect. The street barricades will be removed, and all roads will be opened.

Residents are now free to return to their homes in the area that was affected by this order.

Law Enforcement will continue their investigation into this incident and updates will be provided.

The Peoria Police Department thanks the community for their cooperation during this incident."

Earlier, Dixon said authorities were looking for explosives at the plant, equivalent to 44 1/2 football fields.

Dixon declined to reveal the type of device discovered Friday, only to say the package that was “rendered safe” was a “credible threat. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali confirmed for reporters late Friday night that the device was a bomb.

Dixon also did not provide details of what he said was an extensive criminal investigation. Also participating the news conference were representatives of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Peoria Fire Department.

Dixon said about 60 to 80 people were housed at the evacuation shelter at Manual High School.

No one sought shelter at EastSide Centre, East Peoria officials said.

East Peoria’s government released the following statement:

“As of 1:00 p.m., the 1-mile evacuation zone has been lifted and our residents can return to their homes and all businesses can resume normal operations. Once again, thank you to the East Peoria community for their continued patience and understanding during this situation. We are proud of our staff’s dedication to public safety and their actions to keep this community safe.”