The Jamestown Sun staff reported on a significant fire devastated a grain elevator and a small storage building in the early hours of Thursday, February 8, near Spiritwood, North Dakota. The fire department was alerted to the incident at approximately 4:40 a.m. Upon arrival, firefighters found the grain elevator fully engulfed in flames.
The cause of the blaze is currently under investigation. The facility, owned by a local farmer, housed approximately 25,000 bushels of product in the elevator. A crucial part of the firefighting effort involved preventing the fire from spreading to an adjacent building, which contained about 90,000 bushels of soybeans. Firefighters focused on cooling this building and maintaining a barrier to protect it from the heat and flames.
Water supply was a significant challenge, as firefighters had to shuttle water from the nearest hydrant. To aid in their efforts, the Jamestown Rural Fire Department requested mutual aid from the Wimbledon Fire District for additional water support.
Seven units and 20 firefighters from the Jamestown Rural Fire Department responded to the blaze, working diligently to control the fire and prevent further damage to the surrounding area.
