CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Illinois Attorney General and the Winnebago County State’s Attorney filed a lawsuit against Chemtool in Rockton over last month’s massive fire at the same time that the state was releasing a report concerning the environmental impact.
The lawsuit was filed on the same day that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency released a report saying the air and water quality are safe.
A leader of a citizens group that formed after the fire, Elizabeth Lindquist, said she found that odd she told WIFR in Rockford, the company needs to be held accountable.
"This community was damaged. It should not be possible for one individual to make one wrong move and cause this type of destruction. That means there's a systemic problem," Lindquist said.
The fire department determined it was an accident. There was a leak of heated oil in an area where an outside contractor was working. How it ignited is unclear.
Related
