Hospers, Iowa– The Hospers Fire Department was called out for a fire on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, near Hospers.
According to Hospers Fire Chief Jason Overmole, at about 1:40 p.m., firefighters were called to the report of a field fire near 420th Street and Log Avenue, two miles south of Hospers.
The chief says the fire started between 430th Street and 420th Street. An acreage on 420th was experiencing heavy smoke. He says luckily, they got there just before the fire got to the acreage.
Overmole says they were mopping up when they saw that about a quarter mile north there was an ember that must have blown up there and started the next field on fire between 420th and 410th, and was in the direct path of a hog building. He says it traveled half a mile in that direction before they were able to stop it.
He says the cause of the fire may have been related to an old burn pile nearby, which may have been stoaked up in the high winds.
Chief Overmole reports that only corn stubble was damaged.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about an hour and a half.
He tells us he really wants to thank the farmers that came with disks to disk firebreaks. He says with the high winds, farmers and their disks can be a fire department’s best asset. According to Overmole, they really appreciate the time, fuel, and equipment that these farmers commit to helping their neighbors in a time of need. He reminds the farmers that have helped out both this year and last year that there is a steak fry planned to honor them at the Sioux Center Fire Station on Wednesday, November 9, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
