'Vapor Plume' Leads To Evacuation At Cary-Area Plant

CARY, IL — A "vapor plume" caused when workers at a local plant mixed the wrong concentrations of chemicals led to the plant being evacuated Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The Cary Fire Protection District was first called to Wells Concrete, at 4o12 Northwest Highway in unincorporated Cary, at about 7:45 a.m. When they arrived at the plant, they learned that while employees were mixing chemicals in a 55-gallon drum, which was a part of their normal work process, they used the wrong concentration levels.

This led to a "chemical chain reaction" and chemicals leaking out of the drum, which caused a "vapor plume in the production portion of the building.

The plant was evacuated, and HAZMAT technicians worked to ventilate the building and make sure it was safe. The Wonder Lake Fire Department was called to the scene, and fire officials used their airboat, which has a large fan on it, to ventilate the building.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation.