A one-mile area that includes parts of Downtown Peoria and the Warehouse District and extends across the Illinois River were evacuated Friday night after a reported bomb threat at nearby BioUrja Renewables. The evacuation order remained in effect Saturday morning.
Peoria Police announced the bomb threat just after 7 p.m. Friday at the former ADM plant at 1 Edmund St., Peoria. Officers were conducting an investigation and search of the ethanol plant to determine the credibility of the threat and ensure public safety, police said.
"A device has been identified. We know it's a credible threat. We know it's a bomb," Mayor Rita Ali told WMBD TV in Peoria.
During a press conference just before 1 a.m. Saturday, authorities said the BioUrja area has not yet been cleared.
Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said BioUrja contacted them about a bomb threat at 1:08 p.m. Friday. At approximately 2 p.m., Dixon said a suspicious package was found. At 6:45 p.m. the package was deemed a credible threat. At around 9.12 p.m. bomb technicians rendered the package itself safe — but a full search of the facility is still underway.
"It's a large facility, there's going to be exhaustive search of the facility. That has not been completed yet," he said.
He said the search will likely extend well into Saturday.
"We don't know whether there's one device or multiple devices," Ali told WMBD. "We know that it's a real threat, a credible threat."
Dixon said the blast radius was determined to be one mile and remained in effect. The plant has "ethanol and highly combustible types of chemicals ... that's what alarms us," Ali said.
"If you're in the blast radius we're asking you to get out of the blast radius," Dixon said.
The investigation involves the Springfield FBI office, Peoria Police, Peoria Fire Department, the Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois State Police and ATF.
"Nationally when a bomb threat comes in, typically it’s not legitimate and it wouldn’t cause an evacuation of a building or something like that. This is not the case here. We found a credible package that we believe to be a threat. We're not considering this a hoax," Dixon said.
Dixon said another update will be at noon Saturday.
Where to go
As a precautionary measure, Peoria Police is urging anyone who lives or works within a one-mile radius of the facility to immediately evacuate their homes and businesses until further notice. That includes much of the city's Southside and Warehouse District and extends across the Illinois River to homes and several Caterpillar buildings.
The evacuation recommendation is being issued out of an abundance of caution while officers and emergency personnel investigate the threat.
- Peoria - Anyone evacuating who needs shelter can go to Manual High School, 811 S. Griswold St., Peoria.
- East Peoria - Any evacuating who needs shelter can go to EastSide Centre, 1 EastSide Drive, East Peoria.
Most streets in this area have been closed off. The evacuation zone includes the Bob Michel Bridge and Cedar Street Bridge, which was already closed for construction.
Event impacts
Country musician Jon Pardi's Peoria Civic Center concert was postponed due to the evacuation.
"Peoria, we're disappointed that we don't get to spend tonight with you," a statement posted on Pardi's Facebook page said. "At the direction of the chief of police, tonight's concert has been canceled due to an active local safety concern."
Peoria Civic Center said those who bought tickets would get information about the rescheduling, and that they are monitoring conditions for future events.
Illinois Comic Con is scheduled for Saturday at the Peoria Civic Center, as well as CASAblanca, a dancing fundraiser for the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.
"Peoria Civic Center remains evacuated and has paused all event operations for Saturday’s events at this time due to the ongoing downtown Peoria area threat and evacuation zone," the venue posted on Facebook at around 6:45 a.m. Saturday. "We continue to monitor the situation with guidance from authorities and updates will be posted here as they become available."
Illinois Comic Con said it also has several guests unable to attend due to flight issues caused by Friday's FAA ground stop.
"The convention center has said the event is not canceled as of yet, but the opening time may be delayed," Comic Con said on Facebook. "They are awaiting more info and will update us once they have it. Until then, please pause all questions, as we have no answers to give until we are updated. As soon as we hear something, we will let everyone know."
Residents and businesses within the designated area are asked to cooperate with emergency personnel and avoid the area until further notice.
This story will be updated.
