STORM LAKE, IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — Storm Lake Fire Chief Terence Sinner says Sunday’s barn fire southeast of the Storm Lake Airport was a community effort.

The call came in at 12:57 p.m. on Sunday, December 7. A passerby reported smoke at 6463 90th Avenue. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a large barn and immediately requested mutual aid from Early, Schaller, and Alta Fire Departments for water and manpower.

MidAmerican Energy shut off power, and the Buena Vista County Road Department sent a grader to clear access after recent snowfalls. Storm Lake Towing also assisted with several stuck vehicles.

Firefighters safely removed a goat and several cats from the barn. The blaze was extinguished and checked with thermal imaging cameras before crews cleared the scene.

After a thorough investigation, officials ruled the fire accidental, caused by a heating lamp used to warm chickens inside the barn.

For more information, contact Captain Blake Severson at 712-732-8010 or Severson@stormlake.org.