The Latest: Chemtool Chemical Plant Fire
Smoke from the Chemtool industrial fire in Rockton on June 14, 2021. WIFR-TV
A massive fire broke out at a Chemtool plant in Rockton in mid-June, destroying the chemical plant and causing evacuations for days. The fire is still burning a week later. The 21st spoke to two Illinois reporters about what environmental and public health concerns are posed by this chemical fire — both short and longterm.
Click here for more information about air quality in the area and guidance for residents.
Guests:
Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Reporter for WNIJ
Michael Hawthorne, investigative reporter focusing on the environment and public health for The Chicago Tribune
Watch EPA on-scene coordinator Matt Villicana explain how we monitor air quality around the Chemtool fire in Rockton, Illinois. @MyStateline https://t.co/Sav6JNoOpd
— EPA Great Lakes (@EPAGreatLakes) June 21, 2021
An area within a one-mile radius of the Chemtool plant in Rockton is under a mandatory, full-scale evacuation.
— WNIJ (@WNIJNews) June 14, 2021
Read more: https://t.co/k5E4btCtdR
Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi
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