More than 125 homes and businesses evacuated due to massive chemical plant fire in Rockton

ROCKTON, Ill. – A massive explosion at a Winnebago County chemical plant ignited a fire and prompted hundreds of evacuations Monday, less than a month after the plant was inspected by a federal agency.

Around 7:30 a.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene of a fire at the Chemtool Inc., a company that manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids, and is, according to the company, the largest manufacturer of grease in the Americas. The plant is located in Rockton, Ill., about 95 miles northwest of Chicago.

Rockton Fire Department officials said about 70 employees were at the plant at the time the fire broke out and all of them were safely evacuated.  Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

While officials said there was no immediate danger to air quality at ground level, an evacuation of a 1-mile radius around the plant was ordered due to the enormous plus of smoke as a precautionary measure. An estimated 1,000 people are affected by the evacuation order.

Although the black smoke had mostly cleared from the sky by Tuesday, authorities were asking anyone within a 3-miles radius to wear a mask outdoors as officials continued to test the air and water quality. Officials said the fire is likely to burn for at least seven more days.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigators from Chicago will be investigating the incident along with the Illinois EPA.

The U.S. Department of Labor confirmed in a statement to ABC News that inspectors from the U.S. Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) had opened a health investigation at Chemtool Inc. in Rockton, Illinois, on May 20. No further information will be available until OHSA has completed its internal investigation, the agency said.

Public health officials will answer any community question through a new hotline at 815-972-7300 or by email at rocktonchemfire@wchd.org.