(Mallard)– A Laurens man was severely burned in a hog confinement fire southwest of Mallard Wednesday afternoon.
The Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Office says a 911 call was received around 3:30 p.m. regarding the fire and some sort of explosion.
29-year-old Carlos Castro of Laurens received severe burns. He was taken to the Pocahontas hospital and was later transferred by air to the burn unit at University Hospitals in Iowa City.
The hog confinement was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.
About a thousand head of hogs perished in the blaze.
The cause is under investigation.
Assisting at the scene were the Mallard, Havelock, Plover and Laurens Fire Departments along with ambulances from Emmetsburg and Pocahontas.
(From Joel Herman of sister station KAYL in Storm Lake.).
