Different Vantage Points of Colossal 4-Alarm Chemtool Fire in Illinois
The 4-alarm fire at a chemical plant in Rockton, Illinois will be remembered for decades because of its unfortunate circumstance. What began as a beautiful morning quickly turned into devastation for Chemtool Incorporated and the village of Rockton, Illinois.
A plume of smoke unlike many have seen in person reached far outlying nearby cities and towns in Northern Illinois. The thick black/greyish smoke could be spotted from not on 25+ miles south of the site, but the same if not further into Wisconsin.
CHEMTOOL INC. FIRE'S SMOKE PICKED UP BY WEATHER RADAR
The smoke was so thick it was visible on multiple weather radar maps.
The smoke from the Chemtool fire was also noticeable in Chicago. If you're struggling to see the smoke, look just above the landscape to the right of the tall building.
VISUALS OF THE SMOKE FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS
To no surprise, the smoke drew attention from residents all over the area.
Bro, some of the pictures shared on social media resembled a tornado.
Imagine waking up to this.
Some of these images look apocalyptic.
This photo looks like it was photoshopped.
Here's another surreal view of the smoke.
Here's a look from Loves Park.
Here is a video from a distance.
PHOTOS FROM A HOME LESS THAN 1 MILE FROM CHEMTOOL INC.
Kim Peavy of Rockton sent us these photos taken from her home near downtown Byron before the full-scale evacuation was ordered by local officials.
Here is another view sent to us.
TIMELAPSE, WATCH FOR THE BALL OF FIRE
If you look closely at this video shared by MyStateline, you'll see a ball of fire, one of the explosions at Chemtool Inc. in Rockton, Illinois.
At a press conference earlier this afternoon, officials did not confirm how the fire started. They did confirm all Chemtool Inc. employees at the facility were unharmed and all accounted for. A firefighter was taken to a hospital by ambulance with a minor injury for further evaluation as an extra precaution.
Read more about the fire here.