A bomb threat at BioUrja Renewables in Peoria set off a chaotic Friday evening along the city's riverfront, prompting a one-mile evacuation order that stretched across the Illinois River into East Peoria, shut down Interstate 74, and forced the cancellation of a Jon Pardi concert at the Peoria Civic Center. Police said a suspicious package was rendered safe later that night, but the facility itself still had not been cleared early Saturday, and evacuations were expected to continue.
Threat Escalates From Report to Credible Danger
According to 1049thewolf.com, BioUrja notified Peoria police around 1:08 p.m. Friday that the company had received a bomb threat, and a suspicious package turned up at the facility roughly an hour later. By 6:45 p.m., authorities determined the package represented a credible threat and established a one-mile evacuation radius around the plant, the outlet reported. Peoria Police said the formal evacuation order took effect at 7:02 p.m., directing anyone living or working within that radius to leave immediately, according to 25newsnow.com.
The plant sits on Edmund Street at the foot of the Illinois River, and as The Journal Star noted, it produces ethanol. The evacuation zone was wide enough to pull in parts of downtown Peoria and the Warehouse District, and it reached across the river into East Peoria, per the station's report. The New York Times reported that Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said emergency workers had discovered a bomb at the facility, and that officials initially described the situation as a bomb threat rather than a confirmed device before the broader response escalated.
Mayor Describes a Real Crisis
Mayor Ali told the Times she could not say with certainty whether the device had been deactivated, though she said it may have been. She added that authorities did not yet know whether there was one device or multiple devices involved, and she described the situation as a real crisis. Ali urged anyone living or working near the plant to stay away, and she told Peoria residents they could shelter in the basement of a local high school.
Manual Academy, at 811 S. Griswold St., was named as the designated shelter, according to WCBU. Reports on how many people were actually using the shelter overnight differed: 1049thewolf.com, citing Police Chief Brad Dixon, put the number at approximately 75, while 25newsnow.com, also citing Dixon, reported about 70 people staying at the site. The Times reported that the exact number of people living within the broader evacuation zone, which included both commercial and residential areas, was unclear.
Device Rendered Safe, But Site Not Cleared
Accounts also varied on the exact timing of when the package was neutralized. 1049thewolf.com reported Chief Dixon said the device was rendered safe around 9:15 p.m. Friday, while the Journal Star reported bomb technicians rendered the package safe around 9:12 p.m., adding that the surrounding area had not yet been rendered safe. Even after the device was dealt with, the BioUrja facility had not been cleared, and authorities said they were continuing their investigation, with evacuations expected to carry into Saturday.
The response drew in multiple layers of government. The Times reported that officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on scene, and Illinois State Police troopers helped block traffic in the area. Per 1049thewolf.com, federal agents were asked to assist Peoria Police and were working alongside multiple law enforcement agencies on the active investigation. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood both posted on social media that they were monitoring the situation and urged residents to heed evacuation orders, the Times reported.
Interstate Shutdown and Canceled Concert
The disruption reached well beyond the plant's immediate footprint. Interstate 74 was shut down in both directions through Peoria at one point Friday evening, according to the Journal Star, though 1049thewolf.com reported the interstate had reopened by Saturday even as numerous road closures remained in place around the BioUrja facility. A Jon Pardi country music concert scheduled at the Peoria Civic Center was also canceled Friday night because of the threat, the Journal Star reported.
Peoria Police posted its BioUrja Renewables one-mile evacuation notice on X at 1:10 a.m. Saturday, November 14, 2026
: “BOMB THREAT – EVACUATION NOTICE Peoria Police are investigating a reported bomb threat at BioUrja Renewables (formerly ADM), 1 Edmund Street. Anyone living or working within a ONE-MILE RADIUS is urged to immediately evacuate until further notice.” The evacuation order remained in effect into early Saturday, and with an exhaustive search of the facility underway, authorities gave no timeline for when residents and businesses on both sides of the Illinois River might be allowed back in.
