Tuesday’s windstorm fanned the flames of a grass fire in western Iowa, causing a chain-reaction wreck. The Monona County 9-1-1 dispatch center received a report of a fire in progress along Interstate 29 near Onawa. Strong winds pushed the smoke across the interstate, reducing visibility to near zero. As a result, drivers began stopping along the roadway leading to a number of accidents.
In all, a total of seven cars and two semis were involved in the chain collision pile-up. Both lanes of I-29 were closed between Blencoe and Whiting for approximately a two-hour period while clean-up crews worked to clear the roadway. One person was taken to Burgess Health Center in Onawa for treatment of injuries received in the accident.