More than a half-dozen western Minnesota communities sent their firefighters to help battle a grain elevator fire in Clinton, Minnesota, on Sunday.
Residents in nearby cities were forced to evacuate their homes as crews of firefighters remained at the scene into the evening hours.
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KARE-TV reported that the central part of the elevator structure had collapsed because of the flames.
Clinton Minnesota grain elevator fire 😕 pic.twitter.com/06WemgoTCy
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Mike Eckberg owns the Clinton downtown diner, which is close to the elevator. Eckberg shared that after a day of raging flames, the town, located on the state's western edge, has been quiet.
"It's pretty quiet; the vehicles that have been going around have been people who are firemen or [people] who are off to work," he said.
As of now, there have been no reports of injuries related to the fire. However, city council member Rich Stattelman said that close to 75 people had to be evacuated within three blocks of the grain elevator.
Residents were also asked not to use water, as crews had been battling the fire since mid-morning, Stattelman said.
"The tower can't keep up, so they're sending tankers out to different areas" to get more water, he said. "There must be four or five tankers, making trips back and forth now."
During the fire, firefighters sprayed the adjacent large steel grain storage bins to keep them from being set ablaze, Stattelman said.
Residents were allowed back into their homes late last night.
Stattelman said that the elevator would not be able to be rebuilt as it is "a total loss, the main part, where they dump the trucks."
The company that owns the elevator has several other facilities in western Minnesota, and Eckberg said it is likely that it will be rebuilt in Clinton. Stattelman said that the grain elevator was a significant economic force in the town of 400.
"If they don't rebuild their elevator — why, it'll hurt the town," Stattelman said.
"It is going to be a big loss for the farmers and stuff until they can get things rebuilt or restructured," Eckberg said. "They handle enough grain here, I'm sure they'll rebuild."
