George, Iowa — The George Fire Department had three fire calls on Wednesday, November 29, 2017.
According to George Fire Chief Bill Sprock, about 8:35 p.m., the George Fire Department was called to the report of a structure fire at 2437 Log Avenue, three miles south and five miles east of George or about five miles west of Ashton’s south side.
The chief says the fire department saw the barn fully engulfed as they approached the scene. He says with the stronger wind, the fire had gotten into the grove and the cornfield as well. He says the main objective was to save the house.
The Ashton Fire Department and the Matlock Fire Department helped them fight the fire, says Sprock.
He says the farmer believes the cause may have been a short or something in an electric fencer in a nearby utility shed.
Chief Sprock reports that the barn was a total loss. He estimated the value at $5,000 to $10,000.
He says they used ten to twelve thousand gallons of water to fight the fire, and crews were on scene for about three hours.
Earlier that day, about 6:30 p.m., Sprock says they were called to a ditch fire along Jefferson Avenue. He says the cause of that fire is unknown. He says it burned about three-quarters of a mile of ditch. According to Sprock, they used about 1500 gallons of water to fight that fire and were on-scene for 45 minutes.
He says the fire department started the day about 10:30 a.m. with a grass and tree fire call on abandoned property on Jay Avenue north of 210th Street. He says the main objective there was to keep the fire from reaching the outbuildings. Sprock says they were able to keep that fire to grass and brush. He says the cause of that fire is also unknown. According to the chief, they used about 3000 gallons of water to fight that fire and were on scene for about an hour.
