'We Know It's a Bomb': Peoria Orders Immediate 1-Mile Evacuation After Device Found at Ethanol Plant
A reported “bomb” on the site of a massive ethanol plant in central Illinois spurred the evacuation of thousands while authorities searched for additional explosives, according to news reports.
While details were still sparse Saturday, WLS-TV in Chicago reported that a device had been found in a BioUrja Renewables property in Peoria.
And Peoria Mayor Rita Ali didn’t mince words about her take on the danger.
“We know it’s a credible threat. We know it’s a bomb,” Ali told reporters at a news conference late Friday.
“A device has been identified. We know it’s a credible threat. We know it’s a bomb. Yes” Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said at a press conference earlier this evening giving an update on the situation at the BioUrja ethanol plant in Peoria.
A large section of downtown Peoria remains on lockdown with evacuations still in effect for all locations with 1 mile of the facility on Edmund Street.
Authorities are still responding to the incident and searching the large facility for additional devices.— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 14, 2026
According to WCBU-FM, the public radio station in Peoria, police lifted the evacuation order by 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
State, Federal, and Local Law Enforcement have conducted an extensive search of the BioUrja facility. They have found no other items of concern. The evacuation order has been lifted. The street barricades will be removed, and all roads will be opened.
https://t.co/JjSg9CY1pm https://t.co/BXbvzvGbYW— Peoria Police (@peoria_police) November 14, 2026
Officials had estimated an explosion could have a one-mile blast radius, not solely because of the device that was located, but because of the materials in the plant surrounding it, according WLS.
The plant itself is huge, big enough to cover 44 football fields, the station reported.
Because the plant is on the banks of the Illinois River, the Coast Guard closed the river to boat traffic during the search. The river was reopened when the evacuation order was lifted.
While the investigation is continuing, the nature of the incident got cloudier by Saturday afternoon.
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Peoria police chief Brad Dixon appeared to back away from Ali’s description of the device as a “bomb,” according to WCBU’s report.
“I’m just going to tell you the wording we use: It was a credible threat,” Dixon said at a news conference, the station reported.
“We dealt with it last night and that process of determining what was in that device is underway currently.”
Ali, meanwhile, reiterated her “interpretation” of the facts.
“Words do matter. Bomb is my interpretation,” she said, according to WCBU. “People don’t necessarily understand the word ‘device’ as it relates to this situation or the seriousness of it. I prefer to make things clear from my standpoint and chose to use that wording.
“Law enforcement is correct in not labeling it as a bomb until the contents have been fully examined to determine if the ‘device’ contains explosives. Mine are lay terms.”
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