Quick thinking by neighbors and skilled fire fighting in a combined effort by 11 local fire departments may have saved a home and other structures at a rural Stockton family farm in the 1300 block of Western Avenue.
Neighbor Jared Stecher was the first to spot the fire, traveling south on Western Avenue with his John Deere Tractor pulling a disc. He jumped into action, trying to contain the fire while calling his manager, Josh VanDeWalle of nearby JL Farms. He called 911 at about 2 p.m. “They told me it was just a grass fire, but I said it was more than that,” he remembered.
The fire, which assumably started in a ditch on the west end of the farm near its main entrance, was quickly progressing, aided by 30-40 mile per hour winds. The farm is operated by Randy Fox.
It eventually took a former hog barn, corncrib and machine shed as well as three vehicles before fire departments got the fire under control, saving an occupied house and other structures.
VanDeWalle joined Stecher with a tractor-pulling disc to help the situation as they waited for emergency vehicles to arrive on the scene. “It seemed like it took forever,” said Stecher, although they both pointed out it does take time to not only get to the location, but also be prepared with equipment and uniforms.
Veteran Durant fire chief Jared Semsch said his department was the first on the scene, arriving about 2:20 p.m., where they found buildings blazing.
“It was one of the worst I’ve seen in a while – probably a year,” Semsch said, remembering a field fire closer to Muscatine that also took some buildings.
The chief said he wasn’t sure how many soybean and grain acres burned in the blaze but credited the neighboring farmers for stepping up and helping contain the blaze. “That could have easily gone as far as Route 6 with that wind,” he said of the road at least two miles south, questioning how many other buildings may have been lost in that battle.
The two farmers said they just did what they thought they had to do. “The firemen were the real heroes in this. They knocked that fire down and saved the home and other buildings,” VanDeWalle said.
Semsch, who said the Walcott Fire Department and Chief Corey Kraft took command of the operation when they arrived because it was in heir district, said there were 11 different departments on the scene and about 40 emergency vehicles. He said no one was hurt on the scene and it was reported another neighbor got into the home to secure a dog.
The Durant team said they left the scene at about 5 p.m. after a nearly three-hour battle with the fire. Fire fighters came from as far away as Tipton on the mutual aid call as Durant had just nine fire fighters at the scene along with two tankers, a brush truck, a fire engine, heavy rescue truck and the chief’s pickup.
Other departments came from Wilton, Bennett, New Liberty, Blue Grass, Buffalo, Montpelier and Muscatine.
Semsch said it’s not unusual farmers aid with such a fire, noting what they accomplish helps fire fighters “tremendously.” He said teamwork was a major key in saving the home and other pieces of the property on the dry Tuesday.
“It was a good knock down for the conditions,” the Durant chief said. There is a burning ban presently in Muscatine Cedar and Scott Counties because of the dry weather, although conditions have become better since that fire thanks to some rain in the area.