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. At 10:30 a.m., ambulance personnel noticed a bulge forming on the north side of a silo filled with 30,000 bushels of soybeans.
- Ambulance personnel 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.
- By 12:45 p.m., a shift in the grain prompted an evacuation, and at 12:52 p.m. the silo collapsed, causing an ongoing power outage in the area.
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 after the collapse.
Author's summary: Martinton faces power outage after grain silo collapse.