Sibley, Iowa– A 200 by 100-foot metal building, the office inside, and 12 semi-tractors were all destroyed in a fire early on Thursday, December 22, 2022, in Sibley.
According to Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls, at about 2:50 a.m., the Sibley Fire Department was called to the report of a truck on fire in the shop at Bosma Poultry trucking company, just south of Jackrabbit Junction.
The chief says the fire department saw major smoke coming from the building as they approached the scene. He says they encountered wind and snow. He says an employee called 911 when they discovered the fire, and a sheriff’s deputy was the first to arrive and tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but it quickly got away from them. Huls tells us the major cold was the biggest problem. Three of Sibley’s pumpers froze up. The nearest fire hydrant was over a block away and in the temperatures ranged from -12 to -20 degrees, so the water was freezing up before it could get to the firefighters. He says they also had manpower issues. Huls tells us they estimate that they used between 200,000 and 225,000 gallons of water.
Huls says no injuries were reported, but some firefighters did suffer from frostbite and extreme cold, with one experiencing heart palpitations.
The fire department was assisted by the Ashton, Little Rock, Sheldon, and Ocheyedan fire departments. Sheldon brought their aerial ladder truck. All Osceola County Ambulances were at the scene as well.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be electrical in nature on one of the semi-tractors.
Chief Huls reports that the building and all its contents were a total loss. Damage was estimated at three to four million dollars.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for six and a half hours. Huls tells us that after they were done, they had to load their hoses, which were now hard-as-a-rock, ice-filled, as he calls them, “popsicles” onto a flatbed truck and take them to a heated shop at Cenex Coop to thaw out.
Huls says he wants to thank Cenex Coop and everyone who helped out, including the firefighters and EMTs, the Sibley Firefighters Ladies Auxillary, Jackrabbit Junction and AmericInn who provided places for firefighters to warm up, Kwik Star who provided coffee, and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and Sibley Utilities who also provided support.
