Authorities lift Peoria evacuation order: 'No other items of concern”

Allison Kiehl and Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune on Nov 14, 2026

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Following an 18-hour evacuation prompted by a credible bomb threat near a Peoria ethanol plant, thousands of displaced residents were allowed to return to their homes, authorities said Saturday afternoon.

Peoria police lifted the evacuation order that impacted about 2,000 people at 1 p.m.

Street barricades were removed and all the roads in a one-mile radius of the BioUrja Renewables plant, the epicenter of the credible bomb threat, have been reopened.

“State, Federal, and Local Law Enforcement have conducted an extensive search of the BioUrja facility,” Peoria police posted on social media Saturday. “They have found no other items of concern at this time.”

A suspicious device at BioUrja Renewables, an ethanol plant that sits along the Illinois River in Peoria, and a bomb threat triggered wide evacuations around the facility Friday evening. The threat made in the afternoon against the sprawling plant grounds resulted in the evacuation of homes and businesses within a one-mile radius.

The large area impacted was not for any single potential explosive device, but because of the tremendous amount of ethanol produced there, Peoria Chief of Police Brad Dixon said at a news conference Saturday.

The plant annually produces millions of gallons of ethanol for alcoholic beverages, industrial products and corn-based oils used in renewable diesel, according to its website.

The found device, which Peoria Mayor Rita Ali described as an actual explosive, was disabled by about 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

The evacations allowed for police to perform a thorough search of the massive building, a complex endeavor, according to Dixon. At the news conference, he said that the sheer size of the facility made the search difficult. Inside the building, there are multiple floors, catwalks and silos to check. Dixon said the facility was larger than 44 football fields.

“This is about as difficult a search as you can do,” Dixon said. “It’s a massive facility and we are working the area with roughly 30 people.”

After the one-mile blast radius was deemed safe, the mayors of Peoria and East Peoria both took to social media to share their gratitude for first responders. Peoria and East Peoria, two independent cities separated by the Illinois River, had residents in the evacuation zone.

“The evacuation order has now been lifted, businesses have resumed normal operations and our residents are now returning home safely,” East Peoria Mayor John Kahal said in a post Saturday evening. “Let’s get some rest, count our blessings and look forward to the better days ahead!”

The FBI was involved in the investigation at the former ADM plant at 1 Edmund Street on Peoria’s west side, according to authorities. A criminal investigation is underway. No arrests have been made as of Saturday evening.

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