Sanborn, Iowa — A large machine shed and all its contents was destroyed in a fire on Friday, May 20, 2016 near Sanborn.
According to Sanborn Fire Chief Randy Lyman, about 2:12 PM, the Sanborn Fire Department was called to the report of machine shed fire near the home of Bruce Walters at 2928 Roosevelt Avenue. He says that’s about three and a half miles north of Sanborn on Highway 59.
The chief says the fire department saw lots of black smoke and a machine shed with a fallen-in roof as they approached the scene. He says they used water to fight the fire.
Destroyed in the fire, according to Lyman were two large wagons, three smaller tractors, a hay baler, a large field sprayer, lots of spare tires, a side-by-side atv, two lawnmowers, a portable generator, fuel tanks, a 2007 Chevy pickup, and other miscellaneous equipment.
He says neighbor Mike VerHoef discovered the fire and reported that the east end of the building where the pickup was stored was on fire and totally engulfed when he first saw the blaze.
Lyman says no injuries were reported.
He says there wasn’t much they could do to save the building or its contents but they doused the fuel tanks to keep them from exploding, put out some hot spots and fought some small fires in the grove.
The Melvin and Hartley Fire Departments assisted on the scene, and stayed until about 3:30 PM.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be something electrical either in the pickup or in the building.
Chief Lyman estimates that there was probably $250,000 to $300,000 damage.
He says they used 10,000 gallons of water to fight the fire, and crews were on scene until 4:30 or 4:45 PM.
