Hospers, Iowa — 2000 piglets and the building they were in were destroyed in a fire fought by five northwest Iowa fire departments on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, near Hospers.
According to Hospers Fire Chief Jason Overmole, about 10:25 a.m., the Hospers Fire Department was called to the report of a hog confinement fully engulfed at 3920 Monroe Avenue, three miles east and three quarters of a mile north of Hospers. He says it was a hog confinement site only, with no other buildings on the site.
The chief says as they approached the scene, the fire department saw heavy smoke and flames, the roof was breached, and partially collapsed. He says they used water in an external attack on the fire, as they determined it was unsafe to enter the building and the fire was moving fast.
Overmole says 2000 piglets were lost in the blaze.
The fire department was assisted by Granville, Sheldon, Archer, and Alton fire departments.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be a heater malfunction. Someone on-scene had noticed smoke and flames around the heater at the beginning.
Chief Overmole reports that the facility was totally destroyed and was pulled apart with an excavator to make sure the fire was out.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about three and a half hours.
