Little Rock, Iowa — A thousand cornstalk bales were destroyed in a fire fought by eight Iowa and Minnesota fire departments on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, near Little Rock.
According to Little Rock Fire Chief Austin Kannegieter, at about 1:50 p.m., the Little Rock Fire Department was called to the report of a bale fire at 1137 Nest Avenue, three miles east and two and a half north. The farm place is in Osceola County and actually has a Sibley address, but it’s in the Little Rock Fire District.
When they got there, the chief says the fire department saw cornstalk bales fully engulfed and flames over the top of the cattle shed. He says they were able to save the shed. They sprayed water on the fire to gain control of the flames, then workers used dozers to transport the bales out to the field, where the remnants were buried.
Kannegieter says two firefighters were checked on-scene for exhaustion. He says the livestock was safely moved out of the way.
The Little Rock firefighters were assisted by firefighters from Sibley, George, Ashton, and Ocheyedan, Iowa; and Bigelow, Ellsworth, and Rushmore, Minnesota. Employees from the Cooperative Farmers Elevator in Ashton also brought out a tanker of water. He says all told, they used about 95,000 gallons of water.
He says the farmer had been burning the previous morning, and the fire re-ignited in the wind.
The damage amounted to about $25,000 in cornstalks, at average bale weight and recent prices.
He says firefighters who responded were on the scene for about nine hours.
