A dozen fire departments fight massive grain elevator fire in Clinton, Minnesota

July 26, 2021
Mike Tanner

CLINTON, Minn.-Fire departments from a dozen communities were called out Sunday morning to a massive grain elevator fire in Clinton, Minnesota.

The Big Stone County Sheriff Mark Brown says the fire call to the Wheaton-Dumont cooperative elevator came in at 10:45.

The elevator’s office area and grain towers were fully engulfed by the time the first units arrived.

Authorities ordered everyone living within three blocks of the elevator to evacuate their homes as a precaution. That evacuation order was later lifted.

U.S. Highway 75 thru Clinton was closed to traffic, and detour signs remained in place overnight.

Residents of Clinton were being asked to conserve water as fire operations continued.

Fire departments from Clinton, Graceville, Beardsley, Ortonville, Odessa, Big Stone City, Wheaton, Herman, Browns Valley, Chokio, Morris and Dumont all responded to the fire.

There was no early indication of how the fire started.