Firefighters from Menlo, Casey and Stuart were called to the scene of a structure fire late Wednesday night, in Menlo.
Menlo Fire Chief Ben Gilman says they were called to the fire in the Sargent Custom Cabinets building, at around 11:54 p.m. The business is owned by Roy Sargent.
Gilman said when they arrived, and found one of the sheds fully engulfed in flames, and there wasn’t too much they could do except try to prevent the fire from spreading. Firefighters were on the scene for more than eight-hours. Gilman said the narrow, two-story building was used for commercial cabinet finishing.
He says the building had paint and other flammable materials in it, which helped the fire to burn. The structure collapsed and was a complete loss. Gilman said Sargent had gotten most of his products out of the structure, but some machines and supplies were lost. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Two firefighters, one from Menlo, the other from Stuart, suffered minor injuries while battling the fire.
The men were injured when they slipped on the ice and were treated for their injuries at the hospital and released.
The fire in Menlo was the second in less than a week. Crews Menlo and seven nearby communities were called to the Flint Hills Resources ethanol plant near Menlo late last Friday, after a conveyor used to transport grain to an elevator caught fire.
(Reporting by Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic)
