A large fire destroyed a grain elevator, and scattered embers over part of Hanley Falls, MN, early Friday morning. Fire departments came from as far as 30 miles away to fight the blaze, and some local residents had to temporarily leave their homes according to a report at the Marshall Independent.
However, area responders said, no one was hurt.
Farmers Cooperative Elevator general manager Scott Dubbelde thanked firefighters and other responders for their help Friday.
“We have wonderful emergency responders in our towns,” Dubbelde said.
Hanley Falls Fire Chief Paul Neisius said the Hanley Falls Fire Department received mutual aid from several area fire departments. Ladder trucks came in from Marshall and Montevideo, he said.
The Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office said a total of 10 fire departments gave aid to Hanley Falls, as well as area ambulance crews, law enforcement, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
In responding to the elevator fire, Neisius said, “Mainly we just want to make sure we can contain it as best we can.” Firefighters also monitored nearby homes and buildings to try and control embers being blown by the wind. Neisius said firefighters patrolled an area reaching about a block away from the elevator.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Neisius said.
At about 4:30 a.m., a BNSF Railroad crew reported the fire, at the Farmers Cooperative Elevator in Hanley Falls, the Sheriff’s office said. The fire was at FCE’s northern location in Hanley Falls, which is on the west edge of town. The cooperative also has newer facilities to the south of Hanley Falls, near Minnesota Highway 23.
Dubbelde said the elevator in the fire was a steel-clad wooden structure, with some concrete additions. At the time of the fire, he said, about half of the bins in the elevator were empty, and the old feed mill at the elevator had no grain in it.
Read the full report here.
