The cause of a massive grain elevator fire that destroyed the structure at OโBrien Seed on Saturday night may never be determined, the Mayville Fire Chief said Monday.
The grain elevator became engulfed in flames shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday and collapsed within an hour as fire consumed the building, Fire Chief Rich Hart said. โIt was very hot, very intense,โ Hart said. โI didnโt know which way it was going to go until it finally went. We had crews that were somewhat close to the scene.โ
Multiple agencies responded to the blaze, including Mayville Fire, Hillsboro Fire and crews from the air base. The fire knocked out power to neighboring homes, leaving residents without electricity as they watched the dramatic scene unfold. โWe had debris floating through the air and it probably went about a mile east so over most of the town we had, we were worried about spot fires,โ he said.
Electricity has since been restored to the affected area. Hart said the investigation into the fireโs cause is ongoing, but he expressed doubt that investigators will be able to determine what sparked the blaze. โAs of right now itโs undetermined. We will probably never know what it was,โ Hart said.
The fire chief said he was grateful for the assistance his department received from other agencies during the emergency response.
