Melvin, Iowa — A hog barn was damaged in a fire on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 near Melvin.
According to Melvin Fire Chief Brennan Raveling, about 10:30 a.m., the Melvin Fire Department was called to the report of a hog barn fire at 2239 Highway 59, two miles west and two and a half north of Melvin.
The chief says the fire department saw smoke as they approached the scene, and they extinguished the fire shortly after arrival. According to the chief, the plastic flooring was on fire and they had to knock a couple of holes in the wall to put out the fire.
Raveling says no injuries were reported, and the building did not have any livestock in it at the time of the fire.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be a malfunctioning heater. One of the people who were in the building says that when they noticed the smoke, they went into the room that burned and saw a pile of something on fire under the heating unit.
Chief Raveling reports that there was minimal to moderate damage.
He says the 15 firefighters who responded were on the scene for about two hours.
In another fire story, the Rock Valley Fire Department was called out on Monday morning for the report of smoke and a smoke alarm at 1000 19th Avenue at about 11:30. Rock Valley Fire Chief Brent Eshuis says when they got there they discovered there was no real fire. Someone had left a pot on a stove, and it made a lot of smoke, which they ventilated with fans, but there was no real damage.
