Hartley, Iowa — A former hog barn was destroyed in a fire on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in rural Hartley, but in Everly’s fire district.
According to Everly Fire Chief Brian Kahl, at about 8:00 a.m. on Monday, April 4th, the Everly Fire Department was called to the report of a structure fire at 1020 350th Street, a mile and a half south and three west of Everly or four east and three south of Hartley.
The chief says the fire department saw nothing from the outside as they approached the scene, but they pulled the ceiling down and doused it with water. He says they found some burned rafters too and took care of those as well. According to Kahl, they wrapped things up there, only to be called back the next day, Tuesday. He says the farmer told him he had checked the building about 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, but a short time later someone knocked on his door to tell him his barn was on fire. Firefighters were again paged to the place, and this time it was fully engulfed when they arrived, and they couldn’t save it.
Kahl says no injuries were reported, but the building and its contents were destroyed in the blaze. He says the building was being used for storage, and a corn head for a combine and an antique John Deere tractor were also lost in the fire.
Kahl tells us that firefighters from Royal and Hartley assisted them both days, and Fostoria firefighters were also called in on Tuesday, as was a County Road Department excavator to pull the burning building apart.
He says the initial cause of the fire may have been embers from a pile of trees that were burning. He says they think maybe they blew into the vents. He says officially the cause is undetermined.
He tells us the firefighters who responded were on the scene for four hours on Monday, and seven hours and twenty minutes on Tuesday.
