LA SALLE, Ill. (WLS) — There will be an update Thursday afternoon after a massive fire erupted at the Carus Chemical plant in La Salle Wednesday morning. Some neighbors have concerns.
The residential neighborhood around the plant appears to have been covered with chemicals.
Carus has set up a hotline for La Salle residents at (815) 224-6662.
A shelter-in-place was ordered for several hours as a precaution, but has since been lifted.
La Salle is about 94 miles southwest of Chicago.
Authorities give afternoon update on La Salle chemical plant fire
Residents are free to go about their normal business Thursday morning, heading to work, school or just going about their regular routine, as officials work to find out what happened.
Video of a fire ball during the incident has been widely shared on social media.
“I pull up to the stop sign, and hear a loud explosion,” witness Khaleef Hammad said.
Chopper 7HD flies above chemical fire
Hammad was just a block away from the plant when he captured the moment it caught fire.
“Oh it was loud. It was multiple explosions. Not just one, it was quite a few,” he said.
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The chemical plant manufactures potassium permanganate, which is non-combustible, but can accelerate the burning of explosive material once it catches fire.
Residents shared photos of a substance coating their homes, yards, decks and cars.
“When I hit the windshield wipers, it looked black to me, then it turned green and now it’s like a brown color. And it’s caustic. I know what it is; they know what it is,” said resident Jamie Hicks.
A viewer shared pictures of what she said the substance did to her yard furniture. It appears to show it rusted out with a hole eaten through the furniture — which she said has been since the fire.
As firefighters contained, then extinguished the chemical fire, a representative with Carus Chemical tried to reassure residents.
Massive fire erupts at LaSalle chemical plant
“Some of the material that was released during the incident is used to as a drinking water material,” said Carus Vice President Allen Gibbs. “If you come in contact with that material, it can cause staining on the skin. The stain does not pose a health threat.
Officials are warning residents to avoid green residue that has been seen in the area. The La Salle Police Department said an oxidizer, which appears green in color, has been released. Police said not to touch the substance, and that it can be deactivated.
“In order to deactivate it, you will need a 1:1:1 mixture of: 1 gallon of water, 1 gallon of peroxide, 1 gallon of vinegar,” police said.
A viewer shared pictures of what she says the green residue substance from the La Salle chemical plant fire did to her yard furniture.
As environmental workers monitor the air and water for any possible contamination, the mayor of La Salle is thankful, acknowledging it could have been worse.
“Thank God (it was a) situation where nobody (was) killed or seriously injured … miracle in itself,” Mayor Jeff Grove said.
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One firefighter was slightly injured at the scene of that massive blaze, which broke out about 9 a.m. at the plant, located at 1500 Eighth St.
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