Sanborn, Iowa — A feed truck and a powerline were damaged in a fire on Thursday, April 6, 2023, near Sanborn.
According to Sanborn Fire Chief Randy Lyman, at about 9:30 a.m., the Sanborn Fire Department was called to the report of a power line down and a truck on fire near 340th Street and Redwood Avenue, about a mile south of Sanborn’s southwest side.
The chief says the fire department saw the truck on fire as they approached the scene. He says a feed truck from Hartog Elevator had just delivered a load of feed and then the operator pulled onto Redwood Avenue without lowering the auger. When he went to turn west onto 340th Street, the auger contacted the powerline across Redwood Avenue. Lyman tells us the powerline started arcing, finding its way to ground through one of the truck’s tires, which started on fire, starting the rest of the box on fire.
He says the operator was luckily able to exit the truck without electrical injury. By the time firefighters arrived, the auger controls had burned up and the hydraulics failed, so the auger was no longer in contact with the power line, making fighting the fire much easier.
Lyman says no injuries were reported.
Chief Lyman reports that there was major damage to the truck.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about an hour and a half.
