(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Authorities in Morris are extending an evacuation order for nearly 1,000 homes until 9 p.m. Thursday as a lithium-battery fire continues to burn at an industrial property.
The order had tentatively been set to expire Wednesday evening. The extension means that an estimated 3,000 Morris residents will be displaced for a second night.
Meantime, fire officials continued to explore ways to smother the blaze, most recently with powdered concrete, said Coal City Fire Protection District Lt. Nicholas Doerfler, who was serving as a public information officer for the incident.
“It’s very much a work in progress,” he told WBBM Newsradio Wednesday evening.
The fire at a former paper mill on East Benton Street was reported around noon Tuesday. Officials say they were surprised to learn that up to 100 tons of lithium batteries were stored at the site.
Water had been ruled out as a firefighting agent because it could cause the batteries to explode, authorities said. Doerfler said firefighters, however, have been able to safely use water to cool some sections of the smouldering site.
The Red Cross has been on the scene. Besides the inconvenience of being forced from their homes, residents are concerned about the effects the toxic smoke could have on their health.
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