Boyden, Iowa– There were a few tense moments on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, in Boyden.
According to Boyden Fire Chief Chris Starkenburg, at about 3:00 p.m., the Boyden Fire Department was called to the report of a fire at the Farmers Coop grinding mill tower in Boyden.
The chief says it was a dangerous situation as a bearing had gone out on the roller mill and the belts burned off. With the grain nearby, the potential was there for a dust explosion, but that was averted. He says employees of the coop had attempted to cool things down with a fire extinguisher, but the bearing was still “extremely hot” when firefighters got there, according to Starkenburg. He says they cooled it with water and assisted the employees with emptying the bin. He tells us they used their thermal imaging camera to look for hot spots, but didn’t find any.
Starkenburg says no injuries were reported.
Chief Starkenburg reports that the damage was limited to the machine.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about two and a half hours.
