Bomb Found at Peoria Ethanol Plant Forces One-Mile Evacuation in Illinois

Authorities in Peoria, Illinois, confirmed late Friday night that a bomb had been found at the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant, hours after an emailed threat warned devices planted there would "blow in 12 hours." The Peoria bomb discovery forced police to order everyone within a one-mile radius to leave, emptying parts of Peoria and East Peoria across the Illinois River overnight. The device was rendered safe around 9:15 p.m., but the sprawling plant had not been cleared by Saturday morning, and evacuations were expected to continue into the afternoon.

Key Points

• An emailed bomb threat arrived around noon on Friday, November 13, 2026, warning that devices at the BioUrja ethanol plant would "blow in 12 hours, good luck finding them all."
• A suspicious package arrived at the plant around 2 p.m., and by 6:45 p.m. police ordered a one-mile evacuation covering parts of Peoria and East Peoria.
• Mayor Rita Ali confirmed late Friday: "A device has been identified. We know it's a credible threat. We know it's a bomb."
• Police Chief Brad Dixon said the device was rendered safe around 9:15 p.m., but the large facility has not been cleared and evacuations will continue into Saturday afternoon.
• About 75 people are sheltering at Manual Academy, 811 S. Griswold Street; ATF specialists and the FBI are on scene, Interstate 74 is shut, and no suspect has been identified.

What Happened

The threat arrived by email around noon on Friday, November 13, addressed to BioUrja Renewables at 1 Edmund Street, the former Archer Daniels Midland ethanol plant on Peoria's riverfront. It warned that devices planted at the site would "blow in 12 hours, good luck finding them all." A suspicious package arrived at the plant around 2 p.m., and investigators soon treated the threat as real.

By 6:45 p.m., police ordered everyone within a one-mile radius to evacuate at once. The zone covered parts of Peoria and East Peoria, on opposite banks of the Illinois River, and Interstate 74 was shut in both directions through the city. Late Friday night, Mayor Rita Ali confirmed the worst: "A device has been identified. We know it's a credible threat. We know it's a bomb." She added: "We don't know if there are other devices," and called the situation "a real crisis situation right now."

Background and Context

BioUrja Renewables operates the ethanol plant at 1 Edmund Street, a large site on Peoria's riverfront formerly run by Archer Daniels Midland, one of the world's biggest agricultural processors. Ethanol plants store and process large volumes of flammable corn-based fuel, so a bomb threat there is treated with particular urgency: a blast could trigger fires and toxic releases far beyond the plant fence.

Peoria, a city of about 110,000 in central Illinois, sits on the Illinois River about 160 miles southwest of Chicago. The one-mile zone crossed the river into East Peoria, forcing residents of two cities to leave their homes on a Friday night. About 75 people spent the night at a shelter at Manual Academy, 811 S. Griswold Street, while others stayed with family or friends outside the zone.

Peoria Bomb: Inside the Search for More Devices

Even after the first device was rendered safe around 9:15 p.m. on Friday, police were clear the danger was not over. The emailed threat had spoken of devices in the plural — "good luck finding them all" — and by early Saturday the large facility still had not been cleared. ATF explosives specialists from Chicago and FBI agents from Springfield worked through the night with Illinois State Police, searching the sprawling plant building by building.

Chief Brad Dixon told an early Saturday news conference that evacuations would continue well into Saturday, possibly into the afternoon, until the plant was fully searched. Residents were told not to return until police gave the all-clear, and officers planned another update around noon on Saturday. No suspect had been identified by Saturday morning, and investigators had not said whether the threat or the package had been traced to anyone.

Reactions and Quotes

Mayor Rita Ali's late-Friday statement set the tone for the night. "A device has been identified. We know it's a credible threat. We know it's a bomb," she said, adding officials did not know whether other devices were hidden at the plant. She called it "a real crisis situation right now" and urged residents in the zone to leave at once and stay away until told otherwise.

Governor JB Pritzker said he was monitoring the situation as Illinois State Police joined the response. Chief Dixon, speaking early Saturday, confirmed the device had been rendered safe but stressed the search was far from finished. The FBI's Springfield office and ATF specialists from Chicago were on scene, and Interstate 74 stayed closed in both directions through Peoria.

Why It Matters

The Peoria bomb threat matters because it turned an emailed warning into a real device at a plant full of flammable fuel, in the middle of two cities. A blast at an ethanol facility can do far more damage than the device itself, and that is why police emptied a full mile around the site rather than taking chances with a smaller zone.

It also shows how quickly a threat can paralyse a community: within hours, a highway was closed, two cities were partly evacuated, dozens of people were in a school shelter, and federal bomb specialists were working through the night. Until the plant is cleared and a suspect is found, residents will ask how the device got in — and whether the person who sent the threat is still out there.

What Happens Next

Police plan another update around noon on Saturday, when they are expected to say whether more devices have been found and when evacuated residents can return. The search of the BioUrja plant will continue until every building is cleared, and the FBI and ATF will trace the threatening email and the suspicious package. Anyone with information is urged to contact Peoria police.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at the BioUrja plant in Peoria? A bomb threat was emailed around noon on Friday, November 13, 2026, and a device was found at the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant that night. Police ordered a one-mile evacuation in parts of Peoria and East Peoria.

Was the bomb made safe? Yes. Chief Brad Dixon said the device was rendered safe around 9:15 p.m. on Friday, but the plant had not been fully cleared and the search for other devices continued into Saturday.

How many people were evacuated? Police ordered everyone within a one-mile radius to leave. About 75 people spent the night at a shelter at Manual Academy, 811 S. Griswold Street, in Peoria.

Is Interstate 74 open? No. Interstate 74 was shut in both directions through Peoria during the emergency and stayed closed while the search continued.

Has anyone been arrested? No. No suspect had been identified by Saturday morning. The ATF and FBI are assisting Peoria police with the investigation.

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