Fire destroys landmark former Ill. clock factory (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 News Tribune that she was at party and was startled when she looked out the window. 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.