Alta, IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — Two fire departments were called to the Platinum Crush plant near Storm Lake early Sunday morning. Storm Lake Fire Captain Blake Severson says they were dispatched around 4:30 to the facility at 5856 70th Avenue and immediately called Alta for backup. Smoke was found filling three stories.

Both departments were on the scene for about 3 hours. It has been determined that foreign debris in an air separator caused extensive heat from friction that ignited accumulated soybean material. The fire was confined to the machinery and did not extend to any portion of the structure.
The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office and Buena Vista Regional Medical Center EMS also responded.