Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon Fire Company was called out on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, for a fire east of Sheldon.
According to Sheldon Fire Chief Brad Hindt, at about 3:40 p.m., the call was a report of a manure fire at 5106 320th Street, a mile and a half east of Highway 60 on Highway 18.
When they got there, the chief says the fire department saw smoke across the highway, two round bales in a bunk feeder on fire, with the bedding around the livestock building ablaze as well. He says they knocked down the fire in the hay bales next to the building. He says that with the northwest wind blowing into the building, they were minutes away from the building going up, but they were able to save it.
Hindt says no injuries were reported. He says the building had been full of livestock, but they were all moved in time.
Hindt tells us they were able to use both their new and their old tanker trucks, so didn’t need to call for another department to bring water to the scene.
He says the cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion of the manure pile.
Chief Hindt reports that the hay was destroyed, with minor damage to the building, but minutes would have made a big difference.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about two hours.
Hindt says the day before, they were called to a possible structure fire. He says it turned out to be a grove fire with several hot spots at 2963 McKinley Avenue, a little over two miles north of Sheldon on the county line road. He says they saved a building.
Hindt says sparks from a burning barrel started the fire. Only the grove trees and some timber were destroyed in the fire.
Hindt says the firefighters were busy. They’ve had four calls in the last 24 hours.
KIWA Staff Photo
