Rock Rapids, Iowa — The Rock Rapids Fire Department was called out on Wednesday, September 16th, 2026.
According to Rock Rapids Fire Chief Eric Borman, at about 1:40 p.m., he was called out to a controlled burn that the owners were worried about. He says they wanted to burn an old barn, but the fire had gotten away from them a little and another old building was on fire too. He says he radioed in for the Rock Rapids Fire Department to respond for a controlled burn out of control at 3056 130th Street, about a mile and a half north of Rock Rapids on Harding Avenue and about an eighth of a mile west.
Borman says the firefighters focused on protecting the structures that had not started on fire yet.
Borman says no injuries were reported to people, pets, or livestock.
Chief Borman reports that even though one of the old buildings was not supposed to be burned, nothing of value was damaged in the blaze.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for between 20 minutes and a half an hour.
Borman would like to remind people to call in their controlled burns. Don’t just set old buildings on fire without at least alerting emergency personnel. He says you can call your local county emergency center or sheriff’s office to do that. In Lyon County, the number to call is 712-472-8300.
