UPDATE AT 3:27PMThe Grundy County government building at 1320 Union St. in Morris is a reception area for people who can’t go home because of the industrial fire at 900 E. Benton St.
UPDATE AT 3:21PM Gov. Pritzker is sending the Illinois National Guard to help with the industrial fire in Morris. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department is evacuating an area that reaches up to four blocks from a former paper mill site in the 900 block of E. Benton St. Up to 100 tons of lithium batteries are on the site. Hazmat crews are concerned about toxic gases and the risk of explosion. Their plan is to use fire fighting foam, because water can’t be used on the batteries.
Earlier story
People are being evacuated from as far as four blocks away from a fire in Morris. Up to 100 tons of lithium batteries are on the site. The hazmat crews say there could be toxic gas and there’s the risk of an explosion. The fire is at a former paper mill site in the 900 block of E. Benton. Fire departments and ambulances from many cities have been called in to help.