800 Tons of Rubble Cleared From Illinois Fire Site

Hundreds of tons of rubble has been removed this month from the site of a former clock factory in northern Illinois that was partly destroyed in a January 2012 fire.

The News-Tribune in LaSalle reports that 1.6 million pounds of steel were removed from the Westclox rubble pile in Peru. That’s about 800 tons. The fire burned for five days and two teens were charged with arson. The rubble covered more than three acres, and officials say the cleanup has made a difference.

Site manager Mike Krug says crews are “down to picking up loose odds and ends.” The rubble included steel, concrete, brick and construction materials. Krug says there are no plans for the site once it is entirely cleared.

The clock factory stopped operations in 1980.