Chemical fire at agricultural service center near Pocahontas closes highway for hours
A portion of Illinois 140 was closed for several hours Saturday in Bond County due to a chemical fire at a rural Pocahontas agricultural service center operated by CHS Shipman, a farmer-owned cooperative.
“There were some chemicals (in a concrete bin) that caught fire, but it was basically contained to the pile,” said Dennie Koberczky, assistant fire chief for Pocahontas-Old Ripley Fire Protection District. “It didn’t burn any of the buildings.”
Fire departments from throughout the region showed up to help, as well as hazmat (hazardous materials) units from St. Clair and Madison county emergency management agencies. Crews worked from about 1 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday. No injuries were reported.
“We did have a major road shut down because smoke from (sulfur-containing material) was going right across the road, and it could cause breathing problems if people inhaled it,” Koberczky said.
The CHS agriculture service center is about seven miles northwest of Pocahontas on Illinois 140. The cooperative also has locations in Carrollton, Farmersville, Waverly, Shipman and White Hall. A CHS representative couldn’t be reached for comment Sunday.
“(The material) was smoldering the whole time, so basically we had to shovel it into a tractor bucket and take it outside and put it in a pile and cover it up with sand to smother it,” Koberczky said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
