Firefighters were forced to stay into the afternoon Tuesday to continue monitoring an early-morning at a Utica grain elevator.

At 1:30 p.m., Utica Fire Chief Dave Edgcomb said investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office were on the sceneat Consolidated Grain & Barge Co.,trying to determine the fire's origin.Corn dust is known to be highly combustible.

The fire was thought to be contained before 7:30 a.m., however, smoldering debris in one of the bins remained a concern, according to Edgcomb.

Firefighters from more than a dozen Illinois Valley area departments raced to the fire early Tuesday morning to extinguish on overheated conveyor belt blaze.

Despite the fact the Illinois River was nearby, a parade of tankers trucks from surrounding cities were called in to provide water for the La Salle aerial fire engine. From its tall ladder, firefighters shot water high onto the 175-foot grain bin and conveyor. A connecting feed leg may also have sustained damage.

Darkness and early morning rains were both cited as factors in not drawing water from the river, according to Edgcomb.

"It was my decision. We shuttled water from town hydrants instead of drawing from the river for firemen safety," he said.

One unidentified firefighter estimated more than 30 units from area departments were summoned "hours before sunrise" to the terminal complex south of town.

Edgcomb said his department used the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System to alert other units to the scene including Leonore, Marseilles, Standard, La Salle, Peru, Earlville, Serena, Cedar Point, Grand Ridge, Spring Valley, Oglesby, Naplate and Tonica. He praised the system, which brought a rapid response from neighboring departments to the barge terminal.

No injuries were reported and total damage was still under assessment.