By Brian Brant
(This story has been updated with new developments.)
(ROCKTON, Ill.) Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson said the city hopes to avoid "an environmental nightmare" after an industrial fire at Chemtool Inc., a grease manufacturer, in Rockton, Illinois.
CNN reports residents and businesses remain evacuated within a one-mile radius of the fire and one firefighter was injured.
Wilson said the department's water-based firefighting suppression has stopped inside the building, and they're now letting the product "burn off" with a concern that product could be spiling in the river. This "burn off" is expected to last several days.
Other concerns include effects on air quality with the large plume of smoke from the fire moving south and southeast.
Gov. JB Pritzker activated the State Emergency Operations Center and Illinois National Guard to monitor the fire as well as crews from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA).
"My family and I live in the evacuation zone," Thomas Rollette, a resident of Rockton, told CNN. "We heard the explosions this morning and decided to check outside maybe five minutes afterwards when our dogs wouldn't calm down. By that point the smoke was already filling the sky."
Original Story
Illinois residents were ordered to evacuate after an industrial fire on Monday morning.
CNN reports a fire started at Chemtool Inc., a grease manufacturer, in Rockton, Illinois.
"Rockton Fire has ordered a mandatory evacuation due to a chemical fire," the police department in a message on Twitter. "This notice affects all residents and businesses in a one-mile radius of 1165 Prairie Hill Rd. Proceed to Stephen Mack Middle School. Avoid area in one-mile radius."
The company issued a statement saying employees were accounted for and safe, per WREX. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
"We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions," the company said in a statement. "We will share more details as they are known. We are grateful to our employees, first responders and safety forces responding to this incident."
One firefighter was injured as crews remain at the scene trying to contain the fire.