Authorities in central Iowa’s Boone County are trying to determine the cause of an explosion and fire Monday morning at the West Central Cooperative in Boxholm. Two men were injured as a result of the blast that occurred shortly before nine o’clock.
One of the men was treated and released at a medical facility while the other was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines for treatment. The names have not been released by West Central Coop officials. The explosion happened in a corn dryer. It took firefighters from Boxholm and Pilot Mound about three hours to extinguish the blaze.
There was no damage to the elevator facility itself. The cause of yesterday’s explosion and fire is under investigation. West Central Cooperative officials plan to reopen the elevator sometime this week.
Contributed by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City