Grain bin collapses in Clarion

A tall grain storage elevator in the north-central Iowa town of Clarion collapsed about eight o’clock this morning, dumping up to 100-thousand bushels of corn. Some reports indicate there may have been an explosion prior to the collapse, but Dawn Dow, manager of the Clarion Kum-n-Go a few blocks away, says she heard no blast.The lights flickered is all, Dow says, and the storage bin at the Max Yield Co-op “split wide open and there’s corn everywhere.” Dow has seen what’s left and says the formerly 80 to 90-foot tall bin is flat. She doubts there was an explosion or she would have heard it. An employee of the store lives closer to the elevator and heard rumbling and popping but not an explosion. Dow says several blocks around the storage bin have been closed off due to the spilled grain.There are conflicting reports on whether anyone was injured or killed. No one is available to comment at the Wright County Sheriff’s office or at the Clarion police department. Another elevator in Clarion -did- explode and collapse in February, injuring one person.