CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot halted all non-emergency demolition Sunday after destruction of the old Crawford Coal Plant's smokestack a day earlier sent a massive dust cloud through Little Village.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the plume of dust and debris came despite repeated assurances the developer had a plan to contain it to the site near 35th Street and Pulaski Road.
She called the incident “absolutely and utterly unacceptable."
The stop-work order is in place until the city's Buildings Department does a full review.
Mayor Lightfoot said at an Easter morning news conference that the city would hand out masks to residents living near the site of the former Crawford Coal Plant. She demanded that Hilco Redevelopment Partners clean cars and property too.
WBBM has reached out to the company for comment.
Michael Rodriguez, who serves as the alderman of the 22nd Ward, apologized for not personally communicating to residents that the implosion was going forward and said he’s working get answers from the developer.
Rodriguez said “the fear and anxiety that residents feel about COVID-19 have only been exasperated with this situation” and he has asked the Chicago Department of Public Health to investigate if there were asbestos in the dust.
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the department was on site Saturday monitoring levels.
When asked why the implosion would happen during a mandatory stay-at-home order during a respiratory epidemic, Lightfoot said permits were granted some time ago.