George, Iowa– A hog building was damaged in a fire on Monday, August 1, 2022, near George.
According to George Fire Chief Bill Sprock, at about 10:55 a.m., the George Fire Department was called to the report of a hog pit fire at 1747 Kennedy Avenue, three and a half miles north of George.
The chief says a couple of workers were repairing some metal items and were welding, and a spark must have fallen into the pit, where there are flamable gases. He says that started a fire in the pit, which went through the ventilation system and started the ceiling on fire. He says when firefighters arrived, the fire in the pit had burned itself out already, but the ceiling was on fire a little, along with the insulation and some PVC piping up there. He says they pulled it down and put it out with water and then looked for hot spots with their thermal imaging camera.
Sprock says no injuries were reported and the buildings did not have any hogs in them at the time, so there was no livestock loss.
Chief Sprock reports that there was between $5,000 and $10,000 in damage, mostly to the ceiling and its contents.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about 45 minutes.
