(Chicago Tribune) -- About 100 residents near a petrochemical facility in southwest suburban Morris were evacuated this afternoon after a power outage stoked fears that a tanker might explode, officials said. The Grundy County Emergency Operations Center issued an emergency message that said "an incident" had been reported at the Morris Complex for LyondellBasell's Equistar business, and initially evacuated all residents within a 1.8-mile radius of the plant to the Minooka fire station at 7901 E. Minooka Rd. The message indicated that the evacuation was being undertaken as a ⌠precautionary measure.
Lightning reportedly hit one of the stacks at the facility and caused pressure in a vessel to surge, according to Minooka Village President Patrick Brennan.
Deeann Thigpen, a spokeswoman for the company, said that severe storms Sunday had knocked out power and steam to the plant and that the company was in the process of getting the plant powered up again. She said that the plant itself had not been evacuated.