Authorities lifted an evacuation order Saturday afternoon in Peoria, a central Illinois city of about 110,000, after searching an ethanol plant where officials found what the city’s mayor called a bomb. The discovery prompted an FBI investigation and forced thousands of people from their homes and businesses overnight.
Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon announced shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday that the one-mile evacuation radius was no longer in effect and residents could begin returning to their homes. Federal, state, and local agencies finished searching BioUrja Renewables and found no other devices or items of concern. “The evacuation order will no longer be in effect. The street barricades will be removed, and all roads will be opened,” the Peoria Police Department said in a statement.
