On Friday afternoon, fire department crews from Gray County responded to a report of thick smoke coming from the elevators in Montezuma, KS, along Highway 56.
Bystanders reported they saw smoke billowing from the south side and top of one of the elevators. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports co-op employees had been unloading grain earlier from elevators to ship out and fortunately were on hand to report the smoke quickly.
John Goossen, head of the Montezuma Fire team on site, stated that bearing or mechanical issues were the cause of the alarm.
There was no fire in the grain tanks themselves, just in the boot and grain leg of the elevator.