An early Sunday morning fire destroyed the large Mid-West RBR Ag Services building just west of Iuka on US 50.
Iuka Fire Chief Kenny Eagan says they initially received a fire alarm and a minute later a passerby had seen the building on fire.
“By the time we got here, it was through the roof, the parts room part We got two engines in here and then Salem brought their aerial out. We had trouble right off the bat, we had to keep up with water to the aerial. It did hamper us a little bit at the beginning, but then we got enough tankers here to keep Salem aerial’s fed with water along with the other engines on the scene.”
Once the water shuttle was in place, he says 72,000 gallons of water were used to knock the fire down. Eagan says the only part of the large structure still standing is the office.
“There was a heavy fuel load with the parts bin, they had some hydraulic fluids, a sprayer inside, some acetylene tanks went off, just a heavy fire load.”
Eagan says the State Fire Marshal was on the scene and will further look at the possibility the fire may have been started by a lightning strike.
The Location Manager for Mid-West RBR Ag Services Roy Conard says there is very little left and damage is expected to top $1.7-million.
“Basically a total loss. We did save some files. The computers and everything is gone.”
Conard says they were able to save one machine valued at $600,000 alone. He notes the facility was doing well and plans were already in place to add a new shop building. Conard is confident the rest of the facility will be rebuilt.
“We’ve been here since 2018. We have nine employees. We service ag equipment, application equipment, and sell parts to all the major co-ops in Illinois and Indiana, and we supply a lot of parts and machines to farmers as well.”
Conard says the company is a branch of a Mississippi-based company that will be able to assist until the facility can be rebuilt.
Iuka called six departments for mutual aid, Salem, Kell, Kinmundy-Alma, Odin, Centralia Fire Protection District, and Orchardville. United Medical Response stood by at the scene and Marion County ESDA assisted with traffic control. The fire alarm first came in at 4:13 am. All but Iuka Fire cleared the scene at about 8:00 am. Iuka firemen are expected to be on the scene a large part of the day working with a large backhoe that is tearing apart the walls and roof of the building that collapsed so any hidden fires underneath can be put out.
The north part area of the building destroyed in the Sunday morning fire. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
The remains of the south end of the building before a bulldozer began pulling down the remaining parts of the structure so spot fires underneath could be put out. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
A close-up of the devastation to the Mid-West RBR Ag Services building. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
A bulldozer drops some of the debris from the building onto a pile in the parking lot to allow Iuka Firemen to wet it down and assure all spot fires are out. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
