As a fire continues to burn at a chemical plant in suburban Rockton, Kirk Wilson, chief of the Rockton Fire Protection District, says that firefighters stopped putting water on the fire, fearing that water run-off could carry chemicals into the nearby Rock River.
“We stopped some of the water suppression and some of the fire suppression, and we went ahead and let the product burn off due to the fact that the Rock River sits just west of Chemtool, (approximately) 500 yards away,” he said. “We were extremely concerned that would turn into an environmental challenge later on down the road. ”Officials say that the fire could potentially burn for several days due to the chemicals inside the plant, but that the blaze is contained to one part of the facility at this time, minimizing the risk of it spreading.