Ashton, Iowa– A corn crib and some farm equipment were destroyed in a fire on Monday, March 5, 2018, near Ritter.
According to Ashton Fire Chief Andy Gacke, about 3:45 p.m., the Ashton Fire Department was called to the report of a structure fire at 2658 Oak Hill Avenue, two miles east of Ritter and a mile and a half north.
The chief says the fire department saw the older corn crib building had burned down to the ground as they approached the scene. He says they put out the fire in some nearby farm equipment, including two trailers and an auger.
Gacke says no injuries were reported.
He says the occupant told him that they had a lightning strike nearby that morning that caused some electrical malfunctions, and it is thought that was the cause of the fire as well.
Chief Gacke reports that there was probably around $75,000 in damage.
He says they used about 800 gallons of water to fight the fire, and the eight firefighters who responded were on scene for about two hours.
