LA SALLE, Ill. (WLS) — A massive fire erupted at the Carus Chemical plant in La Salle Wednesday morning.
Residents near the chemical plant have been asked to shelter in place. No injuries have been reported.
Video from the scene showed smoke pouring out of the plant. La Salle about 94 miles southwest of Chicago.
The La Salle Police Department said an oxidizer, which appears green in color, has been released. Police said do not 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.
The company’s website says, “Our quality products help customers solve environmental challenges around the world. We provide innovative solutions for municipal water, wastewater, industrial applications, air purification, and soil remediation.”
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Chopper 7HD flies above chemical fire
Chopper 7HD flew above the scene as firefighters poured water on the flames.
Two members of the La Salle City Council said the city is asking residents that live in the 3rd and 4th Wards to shelter in place as a precaution. There have been no evacuations yet.
Massive fire erupts at LaSalle chemical plant
“Our fire departments have done a great job of bringing this down,” Deputy City Clerk Brent Bader said, “Obviously when they arrived on scene it was quite a worse situation. But right now, we are just concerned with making sure everything is maintained and all of our first responders are going to be in there as well.”
The Illinois EPA says they are monitoring the situation and they will be responding to the site.
Further details on the fire were not available.
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