A bomb threat at the BioUrja ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, turned into a one-mile wide evacuation on Friday evening when authorities determined that a suspicious package was indeed a "credible threat."
After declaring a one-mile blast zone and evacuation, officials rendered the package safe. However, the evacuation order remained in place until the plant could be thoroughly searched for other items.
Peoria Police Department Chief Brad Dixon, FBI Special Agent Ryan Presley, and others provided an update on the situation at a Saturday press conference — although audio issues during the first five minutes made it impossible to know what was being said.
According to Chief Dixon, the one-mile evacuation order is still in effect as of midday Saturday, and updates will be provided in the hours ahead.
“We’re not kicking peoples’ doors in… but we’re telling them this is a viable threat. You need to take it seriously,” Dixon said in response to a question about individuals who haven’t left the evacuation zone.
He emphasized that the search is difficult due to the size and complexity of the ethanol plant, and that it cannot be rushed.
“[It’s] about 44.5 football fields. It’s a very large facility with multiple layers, multiple floors, there’s catwalks, there’s silos, it's a very difficult area to search,” Dixon said.
When asked if the package was indeed a bomb, as Peoria Mayor Rita Ali stated Friday evening, the chief simply reiterated that it was a “credible threat.”
Although the search is ongoing, Dixon said there haven't been any other suspicious packages found.
As for the details of the criminal investigation or whether the incident was being investigated as a terrorist threat, Dixon declined to comment.
LIVE: Peoria Bomb Press Conference https://t.co/HEEh6juWkv
— Jacob Dickey | Meteorologist (@jacobdickeywx) November 14, 2026
During a Friday evening press conference, Chief Dixon provided a detailed event timeline.
Shortly after 1 PM on Friday, BioUrja ethanol plant contacted authorities about a bomb threat they had received, and about an hour later, a “suspicious package” was located.
Several hours later at about 6:45 PM, the “package was deemed a credible threat,” and a blast radius of one mile was determined, leading to an evacuation order for that area. Evacuees who needed shelter were told to bear down at a local high school.
By 9:15 PM, the package was rendered safe — but the blast radius remained until authorities could scour the area for more explosives.
FBI Special Agent Ryan Presley added that the investigation is ongoing and the search for the perpetrator has only begun.
Chief Dixon said the blast radius and evacuation order would be kept in effect until an exhaustive search of the plant property was conducted.
As a result of the threat and evacuation order, a country music concert with singer Jon Pardi at the Peoria Civic Center was canceled, Dozer Park ballpark canceled an event, and Interstate 74 was briefly shut down.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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