Fire consumes stover storage site
By Melissa Erickson, Ames Tribune, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The site, located approximately 10 miles northeast of
The plant will blend the stover -- the leftover stocks, leaves and cobs left on the ground after a harvest -- into ethanol once it opens later this year.
Approximately 5,200 bales of stover were burned in the fire at the 30-acre site,
"Due to weather conditions, a lightning strike is suspected of igniting the fire," Woods said.
No injuries were reported in the fire.
Crews from the
Story County Secondary Roads staff and the
The fire began at the southernmost row of stover at the site, and strong wind from the south helped it spread from one row to the next, Morgan said.
"They attempted to remove some of the stover," Morgan said, "but (the fire) just jumped over the gap."
Crews remained on scene Monday evening, and would stay there until the risk of the fire spreading had decreased, Morgan said.
"They look to contain it on the site it's at right now and let it burn itself down," Morgan said.
The
"We just want to be sure our focus right now is on the protections of the folks that are fighting the fire ... and the protection of the surrounding neighbors' property," Pieper said. "As we look down the road, (the fire) will not affect the opening of the plant."
"We build up risk management stocks for any contingencies," he said.
Pieper said the initial burn in a fire like this is very rapid. After that, he said, the fire will tend to burn in a subdued manner for a week to 10 days.
"Typically, it's the first 24 to 48 hours where there's risk of high winds and such with any spread," Pieper said. "Post that, we've not had any risk of spread."
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