(KIWA Staff Photo)
Rock Rapids, Iowa — A hog building was damaged in a fire on Saturday, August 8, 2026, between Rock Rapids and Alvord.
According to Rock Rapids Fire Chief Eric Borman, at about 11:25 a.m., the Rock Rapids Fire Department was called to the report of a shed on fire at 2073 Grant Avenue, five miles south and one west of Rock Rapids or five miles east of Alvord.
When they got there, the chief says the fire department saw smoke from a hog building. He says they used an interior attack with water to fight the fire. When it was out, they ventilated the building and looked for hot spots with their thermal imaging camera.
Borman says no injuries were reported to people, pets, or livestock.
The Alvord Fire Department provided mutual aid assistance.
He says the fire was started when they were preparing the gas furnace for a new batch of pigs. They lit the pilot light, and it flared up on them, according to Borman.
Chief Borman reports that the damage was moderate.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about an hour and a half.
