(Wallingford)– Fire departments from multiple towns battled a large fire Tuesday at a cattle operation on 450th Avenue near Wallingford.
The Wallingford Fire Department initially responded and found some 1,600 round bales on fire. Some cattle nearby were moved to a different location as a precaution.
Fire departments from Estherville, Gruver, Ringsted, Graettinger and Armstrong also responded, along with local farmers. Wallingford Fire Chief Jared Fisher says crews had to use excavators to pull the bales apart so they could be extinguished.
No structures were threatened and Fisher says there were no injuries to firefighters or livestock. Firefighters remained on the scene late into the night Tuesday night. He says it’s believed the bales caught on fire after a burn pile to the west reignited due to the high winds, which caused the fire to spread quickly. No structures were damaged.
Fisher says the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office, Emmet County Emergency Management and Emmet County Conservation also assisted on the scene.
