MORRIS – A fire at a building in Morris that was storing lithium batteries is still burning, and many area agencies and the Illinois National Guard are being summoned. The Peru, LaSalle, Ottawa, Oglesby, Marseilles, Mendota and other area Fire Departments and Ambulance Services have been pressed into action, along with dozens of departments from Grundy County and the suburbs. Authorities say the smoke from this fire is dangerous, and portions of the city of Morris are under a mandatory evacuation until at least 9 PM Wednesday. Under the advice of state & federal officials, the choice has been made to allow the incident to run its course, as lithium is highly reactive to water and conventional firefighting techniques would be ineffective.
