Fair weekend incidents call firefighters

    Two calls Friday and Saturday during fair weren’t critical as the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department responded.
    On Friday about 12:30 p.m., the IVFD responded to a fire on West 5th Street in an alley near the city’s wellhouse.
    At Monday’s city council meeting, Public Works Supt. Pat Davison said a crimp connection got hot above and dropped some metal on dry grass below near the wellhouse.
    First Asst. Chief Brad Wheeler said it burned a small patch of grass and a fence nearby. The wellhouse was not damaged.
    On Saturday evening, a gas leak was reported in Capitol Mobile Court. Residents on Lot 34 reported the leak.
    Fire Chief Doug Mitchell said firefighters turned off the gas meter and remained on scene until Black Hills Energy personnel arrived.
Hay bales burn Aug. 6
    An estimated 198 oat hay bales were lost in an early morning fire northwest of Imperial Aug. 6.
    Imperial Fire Chief Mitchell said 14 firefighters were on scene after the 6:30 a.m. call, a mile west and a mile north of town on 331 Avenue. The bales belonged to Dick and Jeff Banks, he said.
    Mitchell said they are guessing spontaneous combustion started the fire inside the bales. A Highline Electric pole nearby got hot and HE personnel were called, but that was not the cause of the fire, he said.
    About 50 of the bales were saved when Kyle Odens moved them out of the way with a pay loader, Mitchell said.
    Also assisting at the scene were Brent Kruger, Dirk Haarberg and Mike Rowley, the latter with a FV Coop loader.
    Some of the trucks and firefighters returned to Imperial about 12:30 p.m. later that day. A quick attack unit, tanker and command car with Chief Mitchell stayed on scene another two hours.