The Alpine Township Fire Department responded to a grain dryer fire at a Kent County, Michigan farm on October 29. There were an estimated 2,800 bushels of corn in the dryer when the fire began.
Lieutenant Brian Stalsonburg of the Alpine Township Fire Department stated that the fire likely started when the dryer was running, but that the exact cause of the fire is unknown.
The structure of the dryer made extinguishing it a challenge, as the galvanized steel structure heated up the surrounding area. According to Stalsonburg, the best strategy for taming the fire was to empty the equipment of grain and put out hotspots as they worked.