Firefighters making yet another attempt to put out days-old fire at Peoria ethanol plant

PEORIA – Firefighters will make another attempt Monday afternoon to put out a smoldering fire at the BioUrja ethanol facility in South Peoria, several days after an explosion damaged as many as four grain bins.

Company spokesman Scott Carey said the fire has burned continuously since Wednesday night, when the initial accident occurred. The sustained heat has weakened the structural integrity of that bin and could cause another explosion or collapse. 

Peoria firefighters, along with "third-party experts in the field of grain bin fires," were planning to pour water on the fire with the hope of putting it out, he said. As such, there could be a large smoke cloud coming from the site.

Interim Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger said the situation is "extremely dangerous" for firefighters but said there is little risk to the general public. He said there are 15 members of the Peoria Fire Department on site and they planned to use a ladder truck to pour water into the fire.

Up until this point, they haven't attempted it because they were worried about adding too much weight to an already weakened structure – thus causing more damage. But the department learned there is an opening at the bottom of the silo that appears to be open and could allow water to flow out.

"That means we'll be putting a lot less water on it than we previously thought," Sollberger said.

There is no danger to the community and very little chance of an additional explosion, Carey said. The bin is far enough onto the property that cars driving by on Southwest Washington Street should not be affected.

Despite that, the Cedar Street Bridge near the facility was closed to traffic in both directions as a precaution Monday afternoon.

Sollberger said the efforts Monday were to buy time for a foam suppression system to arrive, which he said is the best way to put out the fire. They had hoped the fire would have burned itself out, but instead it's getting stronger. 

"Our backs are up against the wall," he said.

The initial accident on Wednesday sent two people to a hospital, but they were later treated and released, a company spokesman said. No firefighters were injured.

Carey said teams were still working to determine the root cause of the fire.

BioUrja explosion:Fire restarts, heavy smoke seen days after explosion rocks South Peoria ethanol facility

BioUrja purchased the site from ADM late in 2021. The plant produces three grades of ethanol: medical grade (used in hand sanitizers and for medical uses), beverage grade and fuel grade.