A bomb discovered at the BioUrja ethanol plant in suburban Peoria, Illinois, prompted authorities to order residents within a one-mile radius to evacuate while police dealt with the threat.
Peoria police found a suspicious package near the highly combustible industrial facility at about 2pm on Friday. Officers later deemed the threat credible and established a shelter for those affected at Manual Academy.
The package was rendered safe at around 9pm, Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said. However, officers continued searching the site for any other possible devices.
“The area of BioUrja has not been rendered safe, just the package that was on site. It’s a large facility, there’s going to be an exhaustive search,” Mr Dixon told reporters.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said the location of the device was particularly alarming because of the ethanol plant’s combustible nature.
