Evacuation Order Lifted In Morris, Fire Burning Out Under Cement

MORRIS, IL — Morris had lifted an evacuation order for the areas surrounding a lithium fire as of 4 p.m. Friday, officials announced. While the fire is still burning at the old paper mill location, local officials and the Environmental Protection Agency said residents are able to return to their homes.

During a news conference Friday morning, Morris Mayor Chris Brown estimated the fire could burn for as long as four more weeks. Smoke and other vapors are expected to linger around the scene, and environmental officials said people should clean surfaces in their home to avoid ingesting any harmful dust.

"The game is to let it burn itself out the way it's going, right now it's controlled," fire Chief Tracey Steffes said.

Fireworks and the Grundy County Fair are still scheduled to take place this weekend, Brown announced. Firefighters washed down public areas that may have been affected by the concrete dust, such as parks and playgrounds. The only major town event that had to be cancelled was a race downtown due to lack of police manpower.

Officials have been taking air and water samples sincethe fire began Tuesday. A spokesperson for the EPA said air quality at the site is "below action levels" and "well below action levels" in the areas a few blocks away, meaning residents will not have to wear masks outside or worry about outdoor air quality.

Grundy County Health Department officials said they don't anticipate long-term health effects.

While the evacuation order has been lifted, officials warned residents not to go near the site due to ongoing investigations. Town officials said the company was using the abandoned building to store lithium materials.

Superior Battery did not disclose the hazardous materials in the warehouse and did not obtain the correct license, officials said.

Steffes said he hopes this experience can prepare other fire chiefs to battle the potential risks of lithium batteries, which are growing in popularity as a clean alternative to gasoline.

"There needs to be a call across the nation of educating fire departments, educating first responders and educating the manufacturers of these lithium batteries," he said.

The fire team continues to use Portland cement to smother the spots of the fire that are still burning. Using thermal runaway, a process that heats batteries one by one until each collapses, officials said they should not have to use water but are prepared to catch any run-off if they must.

"Do yourself a favor and search thermal runaway and lithium batteries on the internet," Steffes said. "You will be surprised at what these batteries are capable of doing."