A fire burns at the former Westclox clock factory early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Peru, Ill. The fire began before midnight and was still burning Sunday morning, drawing firefighters from surrounding northern Illinois communities to help out and leading to the mandatory evacuation of residents from nearby homes early Sunday. (AP Photo/NewsTribune, Amanda Whitlock) MANDATORY CREDIT
A fire burns at the former Westclox clock factory early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Peru, Ill. The fire began before midnight and was still burning Sunday morning, drawing firefighters from surrounding northern Illinois communities to help out and leading to the mandatory evacuation of residents from nearby homes early Sunday. (AP Photo/NewsTribune, Amanda Whitlock) MANDATORY CREDIT
From left, neighborhood residents Zaleeah Ingold, 2, Annastachia Ingold, 22, and Carl Slusarek sit in the Peru City Hall community room following the evacuation of Water Street, behind the Wesclox clock factory that caught fire, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Peru, Ill. The fire began before midnight and was still burning Sunday morning, drawing firefighters from surrounding northern Illinois communities to help out and leading to the mandatory evacuation of residents from nearby homes early Sunday. (AP Photo/NewsTribune, Amanda Whitlock) MANDATORY CREDIT
Dark smoke blows past the northern-most building of the former Westclox clock complex, as a fire that started in a separate building burns during the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Peru, Ill. Two teens have been charged with aggravated arson for starting the blaze, according to the NewsTribune. (AP Photo/NewsTribune, Anthony Souffle) MANDATORY CREDIT
La Salle Fire Chief Andy Bacidore, second from left, buries his head in his hands during a news conference after a long night of battling a five-alarm fire at the former Westclox clock complex Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Peru, Ill. Also pictured is Mark Roberson, left, director of the Peru Volunteer Ambulance Service, Peru Assistant Fire Chief Jim Duncan, second from right, and Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei, standing at right. (AP Photo/NewsTribune, Anthony Souffle) MANDATORY CREDIT
A fire at the former Westclox factory complex in Peru, Ill., illuminates the area Sunday Jan. 1, 2012. The fire began before midnight and was still burning Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Amanda Whitlock/NewsTribune)
PERU, Ill. (AP) ? A fire at a massive former clock factory that police say was deliberately lit provided an eerie backdrop for a northern Illinois city's New Year's celebrations, and despite the efforts of firefighters from throughout the area, the city landmark was destroyed.
The blaze at the former Westclox Co. clock complex, which covers a two-by-four-block span of downtown Peru, began around the time people were counting down the last seconds of 2011, Gary Eccles, an engineer with the city's fire department, told The Associated Press. By 11 a.m. Sunday, the fire was burning itself out but had destroyed the building and caused it to cave in on itself, he said.
Karen Torri, a local resident, told the (LaSalle) News Tribune that she was at party and was startled when she looked out the window.
"Just as we were kissing, I looked out the window and saw the fireworks, but it wasn't fireworks; it was fire engines," she said.
The only reported injury from the blaze was to a firefighter who was rushed to a hospital for emergency knee surgery, Eccles said.
Police Chief Doug Bernabei said at a news conference Sunday that two teenage boys, a 15-year-old from Peru and a 17-year-old from La Salle, were charged with aggravated arson. The older teen, who's being charged as an adult, appeared in court Sunday and a judge set his bond at $250,000, according to the News Tribune.
LaSalle County State's Attorney Brian Towne said the two teens entered the building, poured gas from a can they found there onto a boat stored inside, set it on fire and then left, the newspaper reported. Towne said a tip that an anonymous caller gave Peru police led officers to the two suspects.
The fire, which caused propane tanks to explode, prompted a mandatory evacuation of homes near the complex. But Eccles said that by 11 a.m., nearly everyone was allowed to return home. Those who weren't were being kept out because the smoke from the fire was blowing directly at their homes.
Dana Slawter, who recently moved to Peru from Philadelphia, said she had just returned home from a party when she was told to leave. She said she had just begun learning the factory's history and that it would be sad if it went up in smoke.
"It's upsetting," Slawter, cradling her Chihuahua, Cinnamon, told the News Tribune.
The building, a landmark in the city that once housed Westclox Co.'s clock and watch-making operations decades ago, currently houses several small businesses, including a salon, a photo business, a lab and others, the newspaper reported.
Westclox built 44 structures at the complex from 1910 until 1956, then closed in 1980. A group of investors bought the building and sold it to developers in 2006, who said they planned to convert it into a retail and convention center while maintaining its history integrity.
The National Park Service in 2007 deemed the building eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places "because of its significant contributions to the social and economic development of Peru and the nation," the newspaper reported.
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