An evacuation order was lifted at 1 p.m. Saturday as authorities finished searching the sprawling BioUrja facility in Peoria after a bomb threat was made and a suspicious device was found.
The one-mile evacuation zone had included parts of Downtown Peoria, much of the city's Southside and Warehouse District, and extended across the Illinois River to homes and several Caterpillar buildings.
A suspicious device deemed to be a "credible threat" was found at BioUrja and neutralized on Friday night. Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon on Saturday would not confirm if what was found was actually an explosive device, or what kind of device it was. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali previously told reporters "we know it's a bomb." Dixon would not confirm if the mayor's words were accurate.
"I'm just going to tell you the wording we use: It was a credible threat," Dixon said at the press conference.
"We dealt with it last night and that process of determining what was in that device is underway currently," Dixon said.
A search of the BioUrja facility began Saturday morning and concluded midday. No additional devices were found, Dixon said around 1 p.m. Saturday.
Dixon and federal partners, including the ATF, FBI and Coast Guard, would not confirm if the incident is being investigated as a terrorist threat or attack. Dixon said the Department of Homeland Security was not involved.
A criminal investigation is underway, but officials would not share if they have any suspects.
A search of the facility involving bomb technicians and BioUrja employees began around 6 a.m. Saturday. Dixon said the search paused for technical issues around 9:45 a.m. and recommenced about 10:15 a.m. It finished before 1 p.m.
The BioUrja facility contains “ethanol and highly combustible types of chemicals,” officials said.
Dixon would not speak to the security protocols at BioUrja, or share information as to why the facility may have been targeted. There was no BioUrja representative at the press conference. The threat was received "electronically," according to police.
The BioUrja facility is about "44 and a half football fields," officials said, and there were many areas to search.
"We displaced people's lives. We moved people out of their homes. That's not an easy thing to do," Dixon said. "This has never happened in my career. I don't know that Peoria has ever had to deal with moving this many people from this many locations. We had to throw it together in short order. Certainly we could've done better, but this is a learning experience."
A closure of the nearby Illinois River also ended at 1 p.m. Capt. Brandy Parker of the Coast Guard said a safety perimeter was established, extending from mile markers 160 and 164, and no vessels were allowed through.
"We recognize the importance of the Illinois River to regional and national commerce," Parker said.
Help for evacuees
Those in the evacuation area sheltered at:
- Manual High School, 811 S. Griswold St., Peoria
- EastSide Centre, 1 EastSide Drive, East Peoria
The City of Peoria has set up a special phone number to call for information about the evacuation: (309) 673-4527.
Dixon said officers went door-to-door in the evacuation zone overnight to point those affected towards the right resources. Dixon said around 60 to 80 people were sheltered midday at Manual High School on the city's South Side. The American Red Cross provided cots and blankets.
It was not a mandatory evacuation zone, but officials still encouraged people to stay out of the one-mile radius.
"We want them to be safe," Mayor Ali said. "You don't have to [evacuate], but we think it's important."
The one-mile blast radius was determined by the materials within the facility and not necessarily the size of the device found.
