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Magnolia and Luverne fire departments responded to the scene of a dryer bin fire Thursday morning, Dec. 12, at the CHS elevator terminal in Magnolia.
When emergency responders arrived shortly before 10:30 a.m., CHS had already shut off gas connections and had started removing corn from the 2,700-bushel bin.
“They knew what to do,” said Luverne Fire Chief David Van Batavia.
The dryer bin sustained damage and insurance adjusters are still evaluating the incident. A cause of the blaze hasn’t been determined, according to Magnolia grain location manager Brad Skattum.
“Magnolia and Luverne firemen did an excellent job,” he said. “Safety is our top priority. The fire departments and our team did an outstanding job executing our emergency procedures to ensure everyone made it home safe.”
Wetter corn coming out of the fields this fall contributed increased risk for fire in grain bin dryers, which have been operating at higher temperatures to keep up.