Sutherland, Iowa — Two fire departments were called out on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, between Sutherland and Peterson.
According to Sutherland Fire Chief Rich Van Beek, at about 3:15 p.m., the Sutherland Fire Department was called to the report of a grass fire at 7055 Waterman Boulevard, about five miles southeast of Sutherland.
When they got there, the chief says the fire department found a fire on an acreage with no one living on it. He tells us that an overhead line that had been taken off a building was coiled up and hanging on the leg of an old windmill. He says that the line was still live. It arched on the metal leg, igniting the grass. He says the fire spread to a few piles of sticks, logs, and lumber, and through the grass around an old barn.
Van Beek says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Peterson Fire Department.
Chief Van Beek reports that very little of value was burned in the fire.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about an hour and 15 minutes.
KIWA Staff Photo
