On January 11, 2023, the Carus Chemical manufacturing plant in LaSalle, Illinois had an explosion & started on fire. Chemicals rained down onto the neighborhood and damaged homes and cars.
Jamie Hicks and other residents have been complaining since 2017 to the City of LaSalle and Carus about the building behind their homes and semi-truck traffic on their dead-end road.
Despite many complaints and asking what the building was used for, they were never told there was a tier 2 chemical storage facility in the crumbling building in their backyards. After the fire, residents demanded answers.
The City of LaSalle has been more concerned with the chemical company’s ability to reach its illegally stored product than it is about the neighbors who are being put in harms way by the chemical company.
Below are police reports involving Carus Chemical, along with a video taken by Jamie Hicks showing what happened. Jamie’s video and comments conflicts with the reports written by the officers.
Our request for body cam footage from the officers who were at the scene was denied. We have also requested body cam footage showing what is in the building, but were denied.
The below photos are of chemicals that came out of the Apollo building, located behind Jamie’s home, being unloaded at the South Towne Mall in Ottawa, Illinois, Carus’ new tier 2 chemical storage facility. As of March 3, thirteen truckloads have been transported out of the Apollo building behind his home.
Protect Starved Rock and The Illinois Valley 