Bomb threat, suspicious package at Peoria, Illinois, plant prompts evacuation
CHICAGO - Update as of 1:24 p.m.: Peoria police say they have found no other "items of concern" at the BioUrja facility and that the evacuation order has been lifted.
A bomb threat at an ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, about 160 miles south of Chicago, prompted an evacuation on Friday night.
Bomb threat evacuation
What we know:
The Peoria Police Department said they were investigating the threat at BioUrja Renewables, formerly the ADM plant, on Edmund Street.
Police were made aware of the threat a little after 1 p.m. about the bomb threat, and the company asked for assistance, according to Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon. A suspicious package was then found around 2 p.m.
Then, around 6:45 p.m., the package was deemed to pose a credible threat. Around 7 p.m., as a precautionary measure, police asked anyone living or working within a 1-mile radius of the facility to immediately evacuate the area. Dixon later said the radius of the evacuation was a mile not just because of the device that was found, but also the materials in the facility.
Around 9:12 p.m., a bomb technician rendered the package "safe," Dixon said, but he added that the search of the area was continuing overnight into Saturday morning.
"We understand that this is a disruptive process for our residents and guests," Dixon said. "We’re asking for the public’s patience while we work to make this area safe."
At a follow-up press conference early Saturday afternoon, Dixon did not have an exact timeline for when the evacuation would be rescinded. When asked about how long the search would take Dixon pointed to the facility's size. He said it's about the size of 44-and-a-half football fields.
The chief also did not answer when asked what type of device was found or if a suspect had been identified.
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen said in a social media post that, "It may take much of the day or even the weekend before officials can give an ‘all clear.’ An update is slated for early this afternoon. Many neighbors will need to be out of their homes and I am thankful for the hospitals coordinating medicine and medical support."
The Peoria Fire Department, Peoria County Sheriff's Office, FBI, Illinois State Police and ATF all responded to the scene.