Historic Lyons Building To Be Torn Down After Overnight Fire
LYONS, Ill. (CBS) -- No one was hurt in a hard-fought fire overnight in Lyons, but it appears the blaze did destroy one of the town's landmarks.
The vacant Lyons Chamber of Commerce building at 3901 Joliet Av. caught fire around 2:30 a.m. The building is a two-story ivory-colored structure built in the 1900s, featuring ornate doorways and castle-like towers.
Though it has stood empty for years, it's considered a town landmark. Though it still had power, gas service had been disconnected "for some time," according to Fire Chief Gordon Nord.
It took firefighters nearly four hours to put out the blaze.
"We had heavy fire showing out the first floor windows. We had a lot of heavy fire in the tin ceiling on the first floor; gave us a lot of problem with a lot of voids. It certainly overpowered us. We pulled everyone out, and went to a defensive attack," Nord said.
The top of one of the turret-like structures on the corners of the building collapsed during the fire.
As of early Friday, the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
However, the damage was so severe, the building must come down.
"We want to make it safe for the residents of Lyons, so the best determination, and the best thing that we're going to do is call in a demolition company, and bring that building down so it's safe for everyone," Nord said.
No injuries were reported.
