Image shows fire at Illinois chemical plant in 2021 | Fact check
The claim: Image shows bus crash that killed at least 135 people in December 2024
A Dec. 10 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows vehicles parked in a grassy field and billows of smoke and fire rising in the distance."BRЕAKING NEVVS (sic)! Horrific accident. At least 135 people have died after a truck collided with a bus!" the post's caption reads.
It was shared more than 80 times in a day. Another Facebook post with the same claim was shared more than 300 times before it was deleted.
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Our rating: False
The image is miscaptioned. It's from 2021 and shows a fire at a chemical plant in Illinois that had no reported fatalities. There is no evidence of a bus crash in December 2024 that killed 135 or more people.
Journalist shared image of chemical plant fire on social media in 2021
The photo in the post dates back to June 14, 2021, when it was shared on X, then Twitter, by news anchor Maggie Polsean. Her posts at the time make it clear the image shows a large fire at a Chemtool Inc. facility in Rockton, Illinois, about 95 miles west of Chicago. Polsean reported from the scene for local TV station 13 WREX.
The fire forced emergency officials to establish a one-mile evacuation zone surrounding the plant, CNN reported. Seventy employees escaped to safety, the article said, and there were no reported fatalities. ABC News reported that two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
There is also no evidence of any bus crash involving 135 or more deaths in December 2024. Any incident involving that number of victims would have garnered significant news coverage, but there are no credible reports about such an incident around the time the post was made.
The Facebook user shared a link in the post's comments that provided no evidence supporting the claim. It links to a disreputable website article about a bus crash that killed 15 elderly passengers in Manitoba, Canada. That crash happened in June 2023, according to The Washington Post.
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The fire at the Illinois chemical plant started after a scissor lift hit a "pressure tap on a hot oil return pipe" and caused a leak, 13 WREX reported, citing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A Winnebago County judge approved a $94.5 million settlement in September in connection with the fire, WIFR reported. Residents living within three miles of the plant were eligible for compensation, the article said.
Paste BN reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Maggie Polsean, June 14, 2021, X post
- Maggie Polsean, June 14, 2021, X post
- Maggie Polsean, June 14, 2021, X post
- 13 WREX, June 14, 2021, Facebook post
- CNN, June 16, 2021, Fire at Illinois chemical plant is contained but mandatory evacuation order remains in effect
- ABC News, June 15, 2021, Firefighters injured in massive chemical plant fire
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Dec. 13, 2021, Violation Detail
- 13 WREX, Jan. 17, 2022, OSHA fines Holian Insulation for causing Chemtool fire
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