Seven months before smokestack’s botched implosion smothered Little Village in dust, Chicago city inspector issued dire warning

The collapse of a nearly 400-feet-tall smokestack at the former Crawford coal plant in Little Village spewed a massive dust cloud that covered homes, yards and cars. (Alejandro Reyes)

Seven months before the botched implosion of a former coal plant smokestack left Little Village smothered in dust over Easter weekend in 2020, a Chicago city employee warned his boss that the plans to implode the tower could cause “almost cataclysmic” harm.

“Make sure you have plenty of water available,” then-director of environmental inspections John Kryl wrote, saying “saturating” the ground prior to the implosion was imperative. “No matter how much water you think you need, it probably won’t be enough. The dust from an event like this is almost cataclysmic. Be prepared.”