A grain bin collapse at Big Gain Ag Specialists in St. Charles, Minnesota, closed parts of a highway and neighboring retail stores on Dec. 1, 2025.
The St. Charles Police received an initial report that a grain bin had partially collapsed. Hours later, the bin fell, spilling thousands of bushels of corn across the nearby Canadian Pacific railroad tracks and significantly damaging a second adjacent bin.
The City of St. Charles's emergency personnel and engineering staff assisted with the controlled dropping of the second structure as the safest course of action to prevent further risk.
Emergency responders evacuated three surrounding businesses and closed traffic on Hwy 74 until crews could clear the railroad of corn and debris that afternoon.
There were no injuries in the incident, according to officials. Police said the cause of the initial collapse appeared accidental and the affected stores and highway have re-opened.
