Firefighters returned to Kent Feeds in Sheldon, Iowa, early on October 1st after employees reported an explosion in building 6. This marks the second blast at the facility in less than two weeks.
The Sheldon Fire Department got the call at 0:26 p.m. When they arrived, employees said they heard an explosion but didn’t see any fire. Firefighters talked with workers on site while O’Brien County Emergency Management flew a drone over the building to look for damage and flames. The initial survey came up empty.
Things changed at 1:00 pm when two teams of firefighters went into the building from different sides. They found smoke filling the structure and flames shooting from a cooler unit.
Sheldon Fire called for backup from Sanborn Fire and Sheldon Community Ambulance as crews ran supply lines from the fire hydrant. At 1:17, firefighters pushed into the second floor, where flames were pouring from the cooler door.
After knocking down the fire, a second crew worked with Kent employees to cut a hole in the bottom of the cooler on the main floor. The team spent about three hours pulling out product and dousing hot spots.
The cause is still under investigation. Damage stayed confined to the cooler and its contents. None of the 26 firefighters who responded were hurt though they used roughly 4,000 gallons of water.
The previous explosion on September 21 damaged a tower on the facility’s east side during grain dryer startup. That incident also resulted in no injuries.
