(Montgomery)– An estimated 1,200 bushes of corn went up in smoke today (Tuesday) in a fire at the old Montgomery elevator.
Spirit Lake firefighters were called to the scene around 10:30 this morning. Chief Wally Jorgenson says flames were shooting from the vents of a grain dryer adjacent to the elevator. Jorgenson says firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the dryer. He says they had to douse several flare-ups as the smouldering grain was being augered out of the dryer and into a nearby wagon.
Jorgenson says they were fortunate to keep the blaze from spreading into one of the large elevator silos where it would have been much more difficult to extinguish. The way it was, firefighters were on the scene the better part of the day. They didn’t return to the fire station until about 3:00 p.m.
Jorgenson says the blaze was the result of some sort of mechanical malfunction.
No injuries were reported.
The elevator is owned by John Gunderson.
