KALONA
Friday, April 19 began early for area firefighters, who were awakened by a call to an Amish farm on 540th Street, Kalona, east of Stringtown Grocery. Kalona, Riverside, Wellman and Hills …
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KALONA
Friday, April 19 began early for area firefighters, who were awakened by a call to an Amish farm on 540th Street, Kalona, east of Stringtown Grocery. Kalona, Riverside, Wellman and Hills fire departments responded.
“A call came in at 6:39 a.m. as a diesel shed on fire next to the barn. It had caught the barn on fire when we got there,” Kalona Fire Chief Jerry Zahradnek said.
The firefighters were onsite within 10 minutes and set to work cooling the shed and barn. In about 15 minutes, the blaze was under control. Although the diesel shed was a total loss, only one wall of the sizable barn was destroyed.
“It was a very, very good save,” Zahradnek said.
Amish farmers use diesel engines to provide cooling for perishables, such as milk. The farmer in this case told firefighters he had just shut off the engine and continued to other tasks, and when he turned back to glance at the shed, saw smoke coming out of the building.
The cause of the blaze is believed to be a mechanical malfunction.
Protecting the adjacent barn was a priority; animals had to be evacuated during the event, but there were no injuries to livestock, and animals were returned to the barn once it was safe.
“It was kind of a good day,” Zahradnek said.
Nine hours later, at 3:47 p.m., area fire departments were called out to another fire, this time just east of Wellman city limits on 125th Street.
“The call came in as a chicken house, fully involved, but when we got there we just saw heavy, heavy smoke,” Wellman Training Officer II Jared Kinsinger said.
“The caller said it was next to another garage and other structures were very, very close,” he said; as a result, Kalona, Riverside, and Washington fire departments were summoned to provide mutual aid.
The burning was under control in about 15 minutes. A power line went down during the event, causing a loss of power, but the nearby structures were protected.
The chicken house, as well as its contents, which included a couple of boats and a lawnmower, were a total loss. No animals were involved in the event.
