KALONA

Approximately 100,000 gallons of water were required to extinguish a blaze in rural Kalona Thursday, causing Kalona firefighters to make repeated trips in and out of town for the better part of the day. Thanks to their efforts, and those of the Hills, Riverside, Wellman, and Washington fire departments who assisted, a hog confinement building was spared any losses.

At 2:40 p.m. on March 21, the Kalona Volunteer Fire Department responded to a call for a vegetation fire at 2660 560th St. SW, rural Kalona. When they arrived, about 250 round bales of hay were on fire, some of them located within a building, Kalona Fire Chief Jerry Zahradnek said.

The hay barn, which was within 50-60 feet of a hog confinement building, burned to the ground.

At the same time, a cornfield on the property was on fire, further challenging the firefighters.

“Hay bales and corn stalks are just impossible to put out,” Zahradnek said. “A big thanks to Gingerich Tiling, who brought their excavator in. We cooled all the bales, he pulled them out, we had a dozer push them out into an open pasture, and they’re still burning today,” he said on Friday.

The blaze was under control by about 10 p.m., and firefighters left the scene around 11:15 p.m. after cleaning and loading their equipment.

“It was a long day,” the Fire Chief acknowledged. “We had Hills, Riverside, Wellman and Washington assisting us, mostly hauling water. . . We want to thank them for their help.”

The inferno appeared to be caused by an “accidental, unsuspicious” trash fire.

As the firefighters worked to control the fire and protect the nearby pigs, an out-of-control grass fire at 1406 210th St, Keota pulled several firefighters from Keota, Wellman, and Riverside away from the farm.

Kalona’s new pumper tanker truck, which arrived exactly one month ago, played a key role in extinguishing the haybale fire.

“The new truck pumped a lot of water yesterday,” Zahradnek said. “That truck’s been on about 16 calls since the 22nd of February.”

Volunteer firefighters, the Fire Chief included, have day jobs to get to, even after a 9-hour day spent protecting lives and property. The News found Zahradnek in his office, too busy fielding phone calls to eat his lunch.

“Usually you just get up and do your thing the next day,” he explained. “It’s the following day that you’re tired.”