Rock Valley, Iowa — Ten to fifteen cornstalk bales were destroyed in a fire on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, near Rock Valley.
According to Rock Valley Fire Chief Brent Eshuis, at about 2:45 p.m., the Rock Valley Fire Department was called to the report of cornstalk bales on fire at 2224 315th Street, at Rock Valley’s northeast corner.
The chief says the fire department saw the bales on fire as they approached the scene. He says a payloader operator helped them by moving the burning bales to a field, where they were disked under.
Eshuis says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Hull and Sioux Center fire departments.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be a burning pit fire that went out of control.
Chief Eshuis reports that the damage was limited to the bales. At the average price paid recently for large round cornstalk bales at the Rock Valley Hay Auction of roughly $40 per bale, the loss was roughly $480.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for an hour to an hour and a half.
