By Laura Sharman, Martin Goillandeau, Eduardo Cuevas

(CNN) — An explosive device found at a central Illinois ethanol plant on Friday forced thousands of people to evacuate a city’s downtown area for a day as investigators searched a sprawling industrial facility to rule out any further threats, police said.

By Saturday afternoon, about 24 hours later, police lifted the evacuation order and canceled a one-mile blast radius after investigators completed a search of the facility.

The device was found at the BioUrja Renewables facility in Peoria, a city of 110,000 people about 130 miles southwest of Chicago. The plant is several floors and more than 44 football fields in size, police said.

No arrests have been made so far.

“Over the last two days, we’ve had a real life Friday the 13th nightmare,” Peoria Mayor Rita Ali told CNN’s Jessica Dean Saturday evening.

Ali told reporters late Friday it was a “credible threat,” calling the device a “bomb.”

Local officials determined the device could cause a one-mile blast radius, prompting emergency responders to evacuate more than 5,000 residents and workers as a precaution around the city’s downtown, officials said. Officials established the blast radius due to the material surrounding the device inside the ethanol plant, Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said in a Saturday afternoon news conference.

The plant, originally built in the 1930s as an alcohol facility, produces ethanol for fuel and alcohol, Ali told CNN. “Just the thought that there may be some explosive associated with this type of facility is very unnerving,” she said.

BioUrja’s facility is located in an industrial area along the Illinois River, just southwest of the city’s downtown area. BioUrja didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bomb threats are not uncommon in the United States, but they usually turn out to be “illegitimate,” Dixon said in a news conference early Saturday morning.

“This is not the case here,” he said. “We found a credible package there deemed to be a threat… We’re not considering this a hoax.”

Police received the initial report about the threat just after 1 p.m. CT Friday, Dixon said. BioUrja had received an electronic communication about a bomb threat, and it indicated there was more than one package, Ali said.

After officials identified the suspicious package about an hour later, the device was later “rendered safe,” Dixon later said. However, the evacuation order had remained in effect until about 1 p.m. CT Saturday. No injuries were reported.

Officials established shelters at Manual Academy High School in Peoria and EastSide Centre, a sports complex in East Peoria.

Police and other authorities spent hours scouring the large complex for evidence until Dixon on Saturday afternoon said they completed the search, without finding any additional devices.

Overnight, police knocked door-to-door to urge people to get out of the blast radius, which ended at around 7 a.m. Saturday, Dixon said. At around the same time, bomb teams entered the facility with BioUrja employees to begin searching the facility, he said.

The FBI and ATF are jointly leading the investigation with local police and other law enforcement agencies, including with bomb technicians and certified explosive specialists. Officials declined to provide more information on the device, though Dixon said it has been deemed a credible threat.

The ATF also confirmed there is no known connection to terrorism.

Officials are still searching for a person or persons responsible for the criminal act, according to Chris Amon, special agent in charge for the ATF Chicago Field Division.

“While it is early in the investigation, know this: We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice,” Ryan Presley, special agent in charge of FBI’s Springfield office, told reporters.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker directed Illinois State Police to coordinate with local officials and encouraged people to stay clear of the area.

State Police had assisted Peoria Police with traffic control, including with numerous ramp closures along Interstate 74, which runs through the city’s downtown, Trooper Ryan Wagand, a spokesperson for the state agency, said in an email late Saturday morning.

Pritzker thanked law enforcement officers and first responders on call who “worked around the clock to keep Peoria safe,” along with the community for “coming together to support one another at a time like this,” the governor said in a social media post Saturday afternoon.

The US Coast Guard established a safety zone restricting vessel traffic along the Illinois River near the Peoria facility, Capt. Brandy Parker, commander of the Coast Guard’s Upper Mississippi River sector. At 1 p.m. CT, Coast Guard lifted the river closure so commerce can start flowing up and down the river, Parker said.

Events canceled due to bomb threat

Police on Friday night made the determination to cancel country singer Jon Pardi’s concert at the Peoria Civic Center, a downtown venue that had about 2,000 people inside when officials began issuing evacuations, Dixon said.

The Civic Center announced Saturday that it paused all scheduled event operations amid the evacuations.

A Saturday evening minor league hockey game, between the Peoria Rivermen and the Evansville Thunderbolts, was rescheduled, while an evening charity dance event was canceled, according to the Civic Center. Illinois Comic Con, taking place over two days, canceled events Saturday, but the convention will take place Sunday, organizers said in an updated social media post.

Comic Con organizers encouraged attendees “looking for something to do” Saturday to frequent local comic and gaming stores, as well as businesses that posted flyers promoting the convention.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Correction: A previous version misspelled the name of Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley.

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