Paullina, Iowa — Two people were taken to hospitals after a very unusual pair of fire calls near Paullina on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026.
Paullina Fire Chief Ryan Harper says that Paullina Fire, Paullina Ambulance, and Calumet Fire were dispatched to 5976 500th Street around 1:00 PM on Tuesday for a hog confinement on fire. That’s about four miles south and about four miles east of Paullina.
Upon arrival, he says they noticed smoke coming from the building’s eaves. Firefighters entered the structure with charged hose lines and encountered heavy steam and smoke, resulting in very limited visibility. Using thermal imaging cameras, they located the small remaining fire. Once the fire was extinguished, crews set up positive-pressure fans and lowered the building’s side curtains to facilitate smoke evacuation.
After investigating and speaking with workers on the scene, they learned that a worker inside the empty hog building was dumping the feeders. When the worker dumped the feed, methane gas rose and ignited the running propane furnace, resulting in an explosion and flash fire. The worker was transported to a nearby hospital by private vehicle with minor burn injuries. The victim’s medical condition is currently unknown.
Fire crews were on scene for just over an hour and a half.
But then — it basically happened AGAIN.
Harper says that at about 3:50 PM, Paullina Fire and Calumet Fire were paged back out to 5976 500th Street for what they originally believed to be a rekindling of the original fire.
But when they got there, they noticed smoke coming from the eaves of a different building. Firefighters entered that building with charged hose lines but encountered heavy steam and smoke, which created very limited visibility. To aid smoke evacuation, crews set up positive-pressure fans and lowered the building’s side curtains.
Again, using thermal imaging cameras, the firefighters located the small remaining fire. Each time they disturbed the top layer of manure while attempting to extinguish it, a flare-up occurred, resulting in flash fires. Consequently, firefighters retreated from the building and shifted to a more defensive approach.
A coordinated effort between the electrical crews and firefighters was established to restore power to the building and activate the pit fans. Once the pit fans were operational, they helped reduce the gas levels in the manure pit, allowing firefighters to safely re-enter the building. An offensive attack was then launched, ultimately leading to the fire’s extinguishment.
Again after discussing the situation with the workers who were on the scene, it was determined that two employees inside the vacant hog building were dumping feed when the second incident occurred. Again, as the feed was dumped, methane gas rose and ignited when a running propane furnace, resulting in an explosion and flash fire. One worker was transported to a nearby hospital by private vehicle with moderate burn injuries. The victim’s current medical condition is unknown.
Primghar Fire and Paullina Ambulance were also called for assistance.
Crews were on scene for nearly three hours before returning to service, says Harper. He says the Paullina Police Department and O’Brien County EMA also assisted at the scene.
KIWA Staff Photo
