The Library Media — National & World · National Desk
Credible Threat at Peoria Ethanol Plant Triggers One-Mile Evacuation as Search Continues
By Eleanor Ever Loyal
Photo: NatFee / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A suspicious device found at an ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, has been deemed a credible threat, prompting authorities to order evacuations within a one-mile radius as an exhaustive search of the facility continues, according to NBC News.
FBI personnel, working with local and state police, determined that a suspicious package at the BioUrja ethanol plant, just south of downtown Peoria, was a threat and rendered it safe, NBC News reported.
FBI Special Agent Ryan Presley told reporters that authorities had determined a “suspicious package was a threat and rendered it safe.”
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali gave a more specific description in comments to NBC affiliate WEEK, according to NBC News. “A device has been identified. We know it’s a credible threat. We know it’s a bomb,” she said.
But authorities have not said what the device consisted of or provided further details about its nature, according to NBC News.
The evacuation order covers an area within a one-mile radius of the BioUrja plant and remained in place at the time of NBC News’ report. Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said residents in that area “should absolutely evacuate the area.”
Peoria Emanual High School, spelled that way in the NBC News report, was designated as a shelter for evacuees. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., met people there Friday night.
“This is the designated shelter area for those that are impacted by the evacuation that’s going on just south of downtown Peoria,” Sorensen said, according to NBC News. He urged people within the evacuation zone to leave the area, saying: “What we do need to make sure is that everybody’s making good decisions. If you are within the one mile radius of the chemical plant BioUrja in Peoria, you have to evacuate.”
Authorities said early Saturday, Nov. 14, that they had found the device and rendered it safe, NBC News reported. Evacuations and event cancellations had already been underway Friday night, Nov. 13.
The investigation, however, was continuing.
“We’re going to have to search the entire property,” Dixon said at a press conference, referring to the BioUrja facility, according to NBC News. He said the area “has not been rendered safe” and that “There’s going to be an exhaustive search of the facility that has not been completed yet.”
Dixon declined to say how many devices authorities may have found or where they were located. “I don’t want to get into how many we found, where we found them,” he said.
Mayor Ali described the response as “all hands on deck,” according to NBC News. The FBI, Peoria police and other local and state law-enforcement agencies were responding.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker urged residents to “follow directions from law enforcement and stay clear of the area,” NBC News reported.
The incident also led to cancellations. Country singer Jon Pardi canceled his scheduled Friday evening concert at the Peoria Civic Center, saying on Instagram that the cancellation came “[a]t the direction of the Chief of Police” because of “an active local safety concern.” He said tickets would be refunded. Dozer Park, home of the Minor League Baseball Peoria Chiefs, also canceled a holiday event.
The nearby OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center said it was “taking all appropriate precautions in response to the situation in downtown Peoria” and would continue monitoring conditions.
NBC News reported no injuries.
It remains unknown who placed the device or why, what exactly the device was, how many devices may have been found or where they were found. Authorities had not rendered the area safe, the search was incomplete, and no timetable had been announced for lifting the evacuation order.
Eleanor Ever Loyal
National Desk, The Library Media
## Update — further reporting, early Saturday
CNN and Peoria’s own 25News Now confirm the account above and add the timeline officials laid out early Saturday. BioUrja notified Peoria police at about 1:08 p.m. Central on Friday, Nov. 13, that the company had received a bomb threat; a suspicious package was received at the plant at about 2 p.m.; by 6:45 p.m., authorities had determined the package was a credible threat and established the one-mile evacuation radius, according to 25News Now’s account of Chief Brad Dixon’s news conference.
Bomb technicians rendered the device safe at about 9:15 p.m. Friday, but the facility has not been cleared, and Dixon said evacuations would remain in effect well into Saturday, potentially into the afternoon. Police planned a further update around noon Saturday.
CNN reported that more than 5,000 residents and workers were evacuated, that no arrests have been made and that no injuries have been reported. Dixon told CNN: “We found a credible package there deemed to be a threat… We’re not considering this a hoax.”
25News Now identifies the evacuation shelter as Manual Academy, at 811 S. Griswold Street in Peoria, with approximately 75 people staying there early Saturday. NBC News, in its report above, rendered the school’s name as “Peoria Emanual High School.”
## Update — official posts and the overnight briefing
The Illinois State Police said in an official post that they are restricting traffic into downtown Peoria to maintain a safe perimeter while Peoria police investigate. Reporting from the overnight press conference identified a second evacuation shelter, the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, alongside Manual Academy, where the Red Cross is on site.
As of early Saturday the one-mile evacuation remained in effect, the plant had not been cleared, and no all-clear had been issued. East Peoria officials were expected to update residents by 9 a.m. Central, ahead of the Peoria police update planned for around noon Central.
Authorities have confirmed one device, which was rendered safe. Claims circulating on social media of multiple bombs are not supported by anything officials have said; Chief Dixon has declined to say whether there could be others while the search continues.
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