BLOMKEST, Minn. - Fifty corn stalk bales caught fire Wednesday evening in rural Blomkest, spreading to a nearby barn and forcing the evacuation of 300 cows and two dogs.
“I just saw the smoke,” said Ashley Jansen, who lives on the property with her husband, Dylon. “I happened to look out the kitchen window.”
The cows and dogs were safely moved from the barn, which was not a total loss. But the outside of one wall was visibly charred.
The Jansens said the Blomkest Fire Department arrived on scene within 15 minutes of their 911 call.
Fire Departments from Willmar, Prinsburg, Lake Lillian and Raymond also assisted on the scene, pulling apart the hay bales with a crane and extinguishing the blaze. Emergency medical technicians were also on standby, though no one was hurt.
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Even over an hour after the fire was reported around 5:30 p.m., the hay bales still sent large clouds of smoke into the air. As firefighters pulled apart the hay bales, they found even more flames.
At around 6:30 p.m. at the scene, Blomkest Fire Chief Ryan Erickson was sparse on details. The cause of the fire had not been determined.
