Nine fire departments were called to a fire at a large turkey barn in northwest Iowa near Newell on Tuesday afternoon. When the Newell Fire Department arrived, mutual aid assistance was requested from surrounding fire departments.
Eight departments were called in to assist the Newell department: Storm Lake, Albert City, Rembrandt, Alta, Fonda, Varina, Early, and Nemaha. Paramedics were called to the scene as a precaution but no injuries were reported. The fire departments were on the scene for about seven hours.
The structure was heavily damaged and the estimated loss is $750,000. There were no turkeys in the building at the time. The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office and the Newell Fire Department are still investigating the cause of the fire.
The sheriff says it appears the fire was accidental in nature, but the investigation is continuing into what actually caused the fire.
By Joel Hermann, KAYL, Storm Lake