Orange City, Iowa– A newer baler was destroyed in a fire on Monday, October 29, 2018, near Orange City.
According to Orange City Fire Chief Denny Vander Wel, about 5:20 p.m., the Orange City Fire Department was called to the report of a baler on fire located a quarter mile east of 4210 Indian Avenue, or about two miles north and a mile an three-quarters west of Orange City.
The chief says the fire department saw the baler fully involved in fire as they approached the scene.
Vander Wel says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Sioux Center Fire Department, who was asked to come with a tanker of water, but as it turned out, they didn’t end up needing it, says Vander Wel.
He says the cause of the fire was probably a hot bearing, but at any rate, a mechanical failure in the baler.
Chief Vander Wel reports that the farmer had just bought the 2016 baler for $34,900 and this was the first time that he had used it. The chief says the baler was totaled in the blaze, but it was covered by insurance. He says some corn stalks also burned.
Vander Wel says they used about 3,500 gallons of water to fight the fire, the 14 firefighters who responded were on scene for about 40 minutes.
