A strike team of MABAS 25 tenders from Peru, Tonica, Utica, Wallace and Wenona headed to Rockton to assist with the Chemtool fire. Marseilles Fire sent a tender Monday night.
The explosion and fires prompted officials to evacuate an estimated 1,000 residents who lived within a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius of the plant and to urge anyone within 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) to wear masks due to the threat posed by airborne impurities, according to the Associated Press. More than 80 fire departments have been helping battle the fires, working eight-hour shifts at a time.