Spirit Lake, IA (KICD)– For the second consecutive day multiple area fire departments were called into action to knock down flames from a fast moving wildfire, this time in Dickinson County.

Milford Fire Chief Jim Carpenter tells KICD News approximately 200 acres of grassland burned Wednesday afternoon near the Dickinson County landfill with the first priority being to keep the flames from spreading into several nearby structures and vehicles.

Chief Carpenter says heat, high winds and terrain of the area presented challenges with several vehicles getting stuck in west sloughs and firefighters having to rely on smaller equipment to more easily access the fire.

The Milford Fire Department was assisted on scene by the firefighters from Spirit and Terril as well as the Iowa DRN, U.S. Wildlife Service, Dickinson County Secondary Roads and the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office. The Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Department was placed on standby to cover any other calls coming in throughout Milford and Spirit Lake.

The fire is believed to have started with spontaneous combustion in a compost pile in the Moore Lake area.