Emergency drill set in empty airport land

A vacated section of Bensenville will be the site of a training exercise today through Thursday put on by the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. The drill will involve training in large-scale emergencies, evacuations and explosive devices.

The event will be occurring in a section of the northeast part of Bensenville, where the city has been buying property for expanding O'Hare International Airport. The empty homes and businesses are awaiting demolition but in the meantime provide a real-life setting for the exercise, officials said. The training will occur from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

Participating agencies include the Chicago Department of Aviation, Chicago police and fire departments, Red Cross and Cook County Office of Emergency Management.