Ocheyedan, Iowa — A barn was destroyed in a fire on Saturday night, April 12, 2025, near Ocheyedan.
According to Ocheyedan Fire Chief Dan Hartwig, at about 11:15 p.m., the Ocheyedan Fire Department was called to the report of a barn fire at 1211 Highway 59, five miles west and three north of Ocheyedan or one west and two and three-quarters south of Bigelow, MN.
According to the chief, firefighters found the barn practically leveled when they reached the scene. They then worked to cool the debris and saturate the surroundings, due to the strong winds present.
Hartwig says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Bigelow Fire Department.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be related to a trash fire they had lit the day before.
Chief Hartwig reports that there really wasn’t anything inside the building, which was a good thing because it was totaled in the blaze.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about two hours, but they were called back the next morning and spent about 40 minutes on the scene that time.
Normally, there are fewer than two or three fire calls in our four-county area per day. This weekend, from 5:00 p.m. on Friday until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, there were over 20 fire calls. Fire officials remind you that when the wind is blowing so strongly, to check burning piles, even if you haven’t burned for days or weeks, as the wind can peel back the ash layer and re-ignite old fires. Once they’re going, driven by that same strong wind, they can cause a lot of damage in a short amount of time.
KIWA Staff Photo
