Hornick, Iowa—A fire that broke out in the fertilizer storage building at Western Iowa Co-op Tuesday, May 1, caused some residents in this small town to evacuate their homes because of smoke concerns. But officials say the fire was contained within an hour, residents were able to return to their homes and no one was injured. Fire authorities were concerned about elderly residents and others having breathing problems from the thick smoke and burning fertilizer and chemicals. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office was also worried about air quality and residents’ safety, and urged over 250 residents to evacuate the area. Co-op General Manager John Bender told Green Markets that the fire started in a fertilizer loader inside a 5,000-ton dry storage facility, and a neighbor reported the blaze to the authorities. “Fortunately it isn’t a manned facility, and there were no chemicals in the building. The real concern was 20 mph winds coming in from the south, blowing smoke all over town,” added Bender. “It will be a tough loss. However we will be able to get through. We were just lucky the building was mostly empty and no one was hurt.” He described the building, which normally stores phosphate-based fertilizer, as about 90 percent empty due to the start of the growing season. Concerned about people having breathing problems from the thick smoke and burning chemicals, authorities went door-to-door in order to evacuate some of the residents. Chief Deputy Greg Logan said the evacuation was voluntary. Hornick is located 30 miles southeast of Sioux City.
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