No injuries were reported as a concrete grain silo collapsed Wednesday afternoon in the small Iroquois County, Illinois community of Martinton.
An unrelated ambulance call at the Donovan Farmers Co-Op Elevator led to the discovery of a potentially dangerous situation at a grain silo in the Martinton fire district.
- Ambulance personnel noticed a bulge forming on the north side of a silo filled with 30,000 bushels of soybeans at 10:30 a.m.
- Martinton Fire Chief Jeff Meyer was alerted, and he called in fire crews from Martinton, Papineau, and Watseka to evacuate the area and establish a collapse zone.
- A shift in the grain prompted an evacuation at 12:45 p.m., and the silo collapsed at 12:52 p.m.
Recognizing the risk, they alerted Martinton Fire Chief Jeff Meyer, who promptly called in fire crews from Martinton, Papineau, and Watseka to evacuate the area and establish a collapse zone.
Cleanup is underway, and the community is experiencing an ongoing power outage.
Author's summary: Martinton faces power outage after grain silo collapse.