State

Video: Chemtool fire in Rockton rages as smoke can be seen for miles

An explosion at a chemical plant in northern Illinois sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground Monday morning, prompting evacuations.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene of the 7:30 a.m. fire near Rockton, northwest of Chicago, at 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.

Smoke from the fire reportedly showed up on radar. This video from Blackhawk Blvd. and Prairie Hill Road in South Beloit, Illinois, shows the aftereffects of the smoke from the fire.

Shaw Local News Network

Shaw Local News Network

Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois