Authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation covering a one-mile radius in parts of Peoria, Illinois, and the adjacent municipality of East Peoria after a bomb was discovered at the BioUrja Renewables ethanol- and alcohol-production plant on Edmund Street, according to local officials [The Guardian].
The threat prompted immediate road closures, including a temporary shutdown of Interstate 74 in both directions through Peoria.
BioUrja notified Peoria police about a bomb threat at approximately 1:08 p.m. on Friday, according to the Peoria Journal Star, and a suspicious package was found at the facility around 2 p.m., as reported by Yahoo. Formal evacuation notifications for the blast radius were sent out at about 7:02 p.m., according to the Peoria Journal Star.
“It is real – this is a real thing,” Peoria’s mayor, Rita Ali, said. “We know that is a real threat. We know it is a bomb.”
Bomb technicians rendered the package safe at approximately 9:12 p.m., according to the Peoria Journal Star, but the surrounding area and the expansive industrial facility were not immediately declared safe. “It's a large facility. There's going to be an exhaustive search of the facility. That has not been completed yet,” Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said early Saturday morning [The Guardian].
“We don’t know if there are other devices,” Mayor Ali said.
The mandatory evacuation zone affected numerous residents, businesses, and cultural institutions across South Peoria and parts of East Peoria. The Peoria Civic Center evacuated approximately 2,000 people from a country music concert on Friday evening and paused all event operations for Saturday. Additionally, the Peoria Riverfront Museum, the Peoria Civic Center, and two Peoria Public Library locations closed their doors in response to the ongoing threat and evacuation order.
Local industrial and medical operations also adjusted to the crisis. Caterpillar instructed employees not to report for Friday night’s third shift, while OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center took precautions and coordinated with local authorities to protect patients, visitors, and staff. CityLink limited bus travel into the affected zones, and Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins urged motorists to use alternate routes while Interstate 74 remained closed.
Emergency shelters were established at Manual Academy in Peoria, which housed more than 50 people overnight, and at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, which reported no occupants overnight.
As of Saturday morning, the evacuation area remained fully in effect, and officials instructed residents and businesses not to return until authorities declare the zone safe.