52 Swansea homes evacuated due to ‘potentially hazardous substance’ in sewers OK’d to return

Residents of 52 houses in Swansea have been cleared to return home late Thursday night after emergency responders conducted an investigation into a “potentially hazardous substance” detected in the sewers as well as a controlled flush of the neighborhood’s sewer lines.

The Swansea Fire Department was first dispatched to the 1600 block of N. 16 St. at 3:55 p.m. to investigate a “suspicious odor” within a residence, according to Bryan Whitaker, assistant director of the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency and public information officer for the Swansea Fire Department.

That investigation led to the discovery of “a potentially hazardous substance within the sewers,” according to a Facebook post from the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

Emergency responders didn’t know what the substance was or where it was coming from, but based on initial readings, determined it could be considered flammable and/or explosive, Whitaker said.

The fire department determined the need to request further assistance from St. Clair County Emergency Management and the St. Clair Special Emergency Services hazmat team, he said.

Those teams came out, and based on initial readings in the sewer lines in the area, they determined the need to evacuate 52 homes.

They worked with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and received authorization to do a controlled flush of the sewer line, which was completed after 11 p.m. and showed the sewer levels had returned to normal, Whitaker said.

The houses that had been evacuated were evaluated and determined to be safe for residents to return, he said.

There were no injuries, he confirmed.

Late Thursday night, authorities still had not identified the substance that triggered the evacuation.