Granville, Iowa — Around 100 large round bales were destroyed in a fire on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, near Granville, and seven northwest Iowa fire departments responded to extinguish the blaze.
According to Granville Fire Chief Karl Kellen, at about 1:45 a.m., the Granville Fire Department was called to the report of bales on fire in a building at 4626 490th Street, about three miles south of Granville.
The chief says the fire department saw the fire as they approached the scene. He says they sprayed water on the fire until people with payloaders could come to the scene. Once they got the help from the payloader operators, he says they picked up the burning bales and took them out into a field, spread them apart, and extinguished them with water.
Kellen says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Hospers, Marcus, Remsen, Paullina, Alton, and Orange City fire departments.
He says the cause of the fire is undetermined, but is assumed to have been spontaneous combustion.
Chief Kellen reports that only the bales were destroyed, as they were able to save the structure.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about four hours.
