Alton, Iowa — About 30 round hay bales were destroyed in a fire on Thursday, June 27, 2024, near Alton.
According to Alton Fire Assistant Chief Kevin Langel, at about 3:45 p.m., the Alton Fire Department was called to the report of a hay bales on fire at 3810 470th Street, about a mile and a half southwest of Alton.
The chief says the fire department saw the bales on fire as they approached the scene. He says they removed the bales from under a lean-to, spread them out into an adjacent field, and doused them with water.
Assistant Chief Langel says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by Orange City firefighters, per their auto-aid agreement.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be spontaneous combustion.
Assistant Chief Langel reports that the hay bales were destroyed with minimal damage to the older lean-to.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about two hours.
