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Officials are asking that residents self-evacuate if they see or smell smoke and then report where that took place. The Grundy County Administration Building at 1320 Union St. The Grundy County Sheriff's Office said they are assisting with the response and the evacuations. Steffes said Wednesday that air quality tests were "favorable." At this point, they are planning no further evacuations. The Illinois EPA is monitoring air quality from several locations around town. They're making the best of it, celebrating grandma's birthday huddled in a hotel room. "I have a lot of things at home that I need here but I didn't bring it because I didn't have enough time to pack everything," Fabian Luna added. She ran home and grabbed her kids Tuesday at a moment's notice. Luna's family is sheltered where she works at a nearby Holiday Inn. "Pretty much we are just waiting to see." "We don't have clothes, we don't have what we need here," evacuee Ana Luna said. With ever-changing conditions, flames still roaring and toxic chemicals possibly seeping out into the air, families are out of their homes for at least another night. "We have determined that people will not return to their homes until the fire is much more controlled, if not completely out," said Michelle Pruin, with the Grundy County Health Department. Officials evacuated the southeast side of Morris. Special resources still in the area from that fire are now being utilized in Morris. Tuesday's fire comes less than one month after the massive blaze at the Chemtool grease plant in Rockton. "It's not that lithium battery fires are new, it's just this quantity is something that hasn't been experienced, at least regionally here," Steffes said.
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He also planned to have repairs done to the building's roof later this week, and he believes water dripping onto the batteries could have sparked the explosions and fire. He planned to get insurance after he opened the business. Zheng said he has lost his life savings in the fire.
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But there is a possiblility that as this continues that it does break through this Portland cement." "It is probably continuing and hopefully it is going to consume what is left of the batteries underneath then it will be over. "When we smothered it with the concrete, we're not 100% sure that this thermal runaway is not continuing," Chief Steffes said. He said by Wednesday night, there were no more flames or smoke coming from the batteries.Ĭhief Steffes said that the unconventional method appears to be working, but warned it is possible the batteries could continue burning since they do not need oxygen to burn. Morris Fire Chief Tracey Steffes said they have used 28 tons of Portland cement to smother the burning lithium batteries and there was no longer any active burning at the site. Official said Thursday morning they "made a lot of progress" using Portland cement mix to fight a massive industrial fire at an abandoned paper mill Thursday and that it is now "in check." (WLS) - Morris officials said the evacuation order for the massive industrial fire will remain in place indefinitely, even as they continue to make progress fighting it. Morris officials said the evacuation in place because of the paper mill fire will remain in place indefinitely.