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 PorkChopExpress
      
Location: Pled's Pig Farm, Virginia
Gender: Male
Stand Up Philosopher
 |  | Fire destroys landmark former Ill. clock factory
< on 1/1/2012 8:06 PM >
|  | | | PERU, Ill. — 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 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. No further information about the teens was immediately available.
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.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://xfinity.com...lock.Factory.Fire/
"Deep in the human psyche there lies the need to believe in something fantastic, something powerful, something unknown."
"Touch what you cannot solve, and return to me. I'll give you hints, and I'll give you three..." Zork Nemesis "I eat asbestos and piss PCBs." |
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Revolution
 
| |  |  | Re: Fire destroys landmark former Ill. clock factory
<Reply # 1 on 1/1/2012 10:54 PM >
| | | | what a shame 
Wikipedia's already been updated
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westclox
"2012 New Year's Fire
In the early morning of January 1st, 2012 a fire broke out at the Westclox compound in Peru, IL. The fire destroyed the majority of the structure. Two teens were charged with aggravated arson. The fire required firefighters and police from 20 surrounding municipalities to extinguish."
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http://urbanexplorer.co
dot CO... not dot COM |
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jimswside
Location: Illinois River Valley
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Fire destroys landmark former Ill. clock factory
<Reply # 2 on 1/3/2012 9:25 PM >
| | | | defintely a loss.
I just happened to be over in Lasalle/Peru on Sunday bar hopping. Seemed like everyone was out in their vehicles trying to get a good view of the fire. The factory itself was pretty impressive, sitting on the north bluff of the Illinois river. Google it and check out some of the images to get an idea of its size back in the day.
Cant understand folks who like to set shit on fire..., hopefully they throw the book at the 2 who set the blaze.
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Ogre Battle
Location: Chicago IL
Gender: Male
| | Re: Fire destroys landmark former Ill. clock factory
<Reply # 3 on 1/5/2012 12:41 PM >
| | | | That's too bad; it was a cool looking building and its going to look bare there without it.
I'd long wanted to get in and do some exploring but I have a suspicion it was mostly just empty and clean inside.
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