Explosive Device Prompts Evacuation Near Illinois Ethanol Plant

WHO:

CNN - Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said, “We know it’s a credible threat. We know it’s a bomb,” and said officials did not know whether other devices were at the scene.

CNN - Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said the device was a credible threat, not a hoax, and described the search of the facility as incomplete.

CNN - FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley, from the bureau’s Springfield office, said authorities would work to identify the person responsible and bring them to justice.

CNN - The response involved the Peoria Fire Department, Peoria County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois Secretary of State, police, and the FBI.

CNN - More than 5,000 residents and workers were evacuated as a precaution.

WHAT:

NBC News - A suspicious device at an ethanol plant was deemed a “credible threat”; evacuations covered a one-mile radius, and local events were canceled.

CNN - Police said a bomb was found at the BioUrja Renewables facility. The device was later “rendered safe,” but the evacuation order remained in effect.

CNN - No arrests had been made and no injuries had been reported.

CNN - Authorities spent hours searching the large complex for evidence; the exhaustive search had not been completed.

CNN - Shelters were set up at Manual Academy high school in Peoria and EastSide Centre sports complex in East Peoria.

NY Post - The bomb threat prompted a mandatory, mile-wide evacuation order.

WHERE:

NBC News - The ethanol plant was in Peoria, Illinois.

CNN - The BioUrja Renewables facility was in an industrial estate in Peoria, a city with a population of 110,000.

WHEN:

CNN - Police received the initial report just after 1 p.m. CT.

CNN - Ali spoke late Friday; Dixon spoke at a news conference Saturday morning.

NY Post - The evacuation was reported as occurring Friday night.

WHY:

CNN - Officials evacuated people because authorities determined the bomb’s blast radius was one mile and treated the device as a credible threat.

NBC News - Local events were canceled amid the evacuation and ongoing investigation.

HOW:

CNN - Emergency responders evacuated residents and workers within the determined one-mile blast radius as a precaution.

CNN - Police and other authorities searched the facility for evidence; the investigation involved the FBI.

(UPDATED November 14, 2026 10:57 UTC)

A bomb deemed a credible threat was found at a Peoria, Illinois, ethanol plant. Authorities rendered the device safe, but more than 5,000 people were evacuated. Police continued searching the facility; no injuries were reported, and no arrests made.