Fire destroys grain elevator

Harvest Land

worker injured in

Springfield fire

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD -- A Harvest Land Cooperative elevator exploded and burned early Saturday afternoon in Springfield.

The top of the elevator, located in the eastern part of downtown Springfield, exploded at 12:40 p.m., sending a fireball of debris into the air. At first there was no smoke or fire. Before long, a raging fire and smoke were seen for miles.

Springfield firefighters raced to the elevator, which is located across the street from their new fire station. Harvest Land also operates another elevator in downtown Springfield.

An elevator employee, Roger Kiecker, was injured in the blast. He was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul by North Ambulance Service. Kiecker was listed in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit on Saturday evening.

Firefighters from Sleepy Eye, Comfrey and New Ulm quickly responded to the out-of-control fire raging inside the elevator.

Sleepy Eye and New Ulm firefighters used their ladder trucks to try and bring the blaze under control.

Most of the flames were on the south side of the elevator.

Comfrey firefighters hosed down storage bins that adjoined the elevator and hauled water.

Springfield firefighters kept busy hosing down lower parts of the elevator and hauling water.

Large portions of the elevator collapsed with an audible crashing sound at 2:40 p.m.

When a sidewall of the elevator buckled, thousands of bushels of grain spilled out.

Members of St. Raphael's Catholic Church served food to firefighters at the fire station. New Ulm firefighters left the area at 6:30 p.m. Firefighters from Springfield, Sleepy Eye and Comfrey stood by to react if the fire flared up.

"We'll have to babysit it all night. It'll smolder for a while," Springfield Assistant Fire Chief Kent Salonek said. "About 30 percent of the elevator is still standing."

The fire brought scores of onlookers to the scene.

"I heard the ambulance sirens and the helicopter that came for the injured man. I was shocked at what I saw when I looked at the elevator, " said Don Kieper, a semi-retired Springfield farmer.

"I was on the phone when I heard the explosion," John Grausam said. "At first, I thought it was thunder. First the top of the elevator blew off. I saw all the fire and smoke about 10 minutes later."

Springfield High School senior Terri Schrump said she didn't know what the sound was at first.

"At first I thought it was thunder, but the noise lasted too long for that.," Schrump said.

Joanne Porter walked out of her nearby apartment when she heard the noise.

"It sounded like railroad cars at first. When I saw all the smoke, I knew something blew up," Porter said.

John Larson, a junior at Springfield High School was doing one of his favorite things -- hitting golf balls on the Springfield Golf Club driving range -- when the blast occurred.

"I was hitting balls right towards the elevator," Larson said. "There was a huge ball of fire and a mushroom cloud. Then the fire went out. It came back five minutes later."

Al Riederer of Sleepy Eye was getting a tire repaired near the elevator at the time.

"I thought it was a train accident at first," Riederer said.

Connie Prechel saw the explosion.

"The top of the elevator shot off into the air and pieces flew all around," Prechel said.

Sleepy Eye elementary wrestlers Josh Clevenger and Jacob Hillesheim were attending a season-ending party at the nearby Springfield Community Center when the blast went off. They were evacuated from the community center and continued their party at Springfield Public School.