Employees at the Key Cooperative in Gilbert spent Monday cleaning up after firefighters doused some smoldering feed in a storage bin over the weekend.

Mark Fiscus, location manager for the Gilbert office of Key Cooperative, said a feed ingredient in the 14-ton bin at the feed mill operation became hot enough Sunday that it began to smolder, causing smoke to roll out of a hatch at the top of the bin. It was not immediately clear why the feed became so hot, but Fiscus did not rule out the hot temperatures that returned to the area on Sunday.

The company was notified by nearby residents who noticed the smoke, and the Gilbert Fire Department was called.

Because the smoke was coming from a hatch near the top of the bin, the Ames Fire Department brought in its ladder truck to provide access to the feed, Fiscus said.

"They opened it and soaked it down and kind of snuffed out what was there," he said.

There was no fire and no explosion, Fiscus said.

Only three tons of feed was in the bin at the time. Other than the lost feed, there was some water damage and general clean-up that needed to be done, he said.

No structural damage was found and the business resumed normal operations on Monday.

A company was being brought in to vacuum out the wet feed from the bin, Fiscus said.

Copyright 2013 - Ames Tribune, Iowa