At approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, fire units from Missouri Valley and Logan were dispatched to Woodhouse Chevrolet for a vehicle fire, according to Missouri Valley Fire Chief Caleb Wohlers.
Upon arrival, fire fighters found one privately owned vehicle and three Conex storage containers fully engulfed and a second vehicle, a Woodhouse-owned van, as well as a fourth Conex container and the exterior of the building impacted.
“Firefighters made a quick knockdown of fires, but had difficulty extinguishing the containers due to the storage materials of auto parts involved,” Wohlers said. “Firefighters had to empty the containers to ensure the fire was completely out.”
Following investigation and interviews, the likely cause was attributed to a cigarette that was disposed of improperly.
According to Wohlers, the combination of high winds and dry conditions caused flammable materials next to the vehicle to ignite and the fire spread to the car and other items.
“This year’s drought, high winds and low humidity have created dangerous conditions across the area. Dormant grasses, crop residue and rubbish piles are easily ignited from other heat sources - evident in this case from a discarded cigarette,” Wohlers added. “Many of the fires reported this year are ignited from previous burns, sometimes days before, when wind conditions blow embers to other areas.”
At this time, the amount of damage is unknown, as calls to Don Burnett, manager of Woodhouse in Missouri Valley, have not been returned.
After returning from that fire, Missouri Valley Fire Department volunteers were called to serve as storm spotters in Harrison County.
“What an active night. When called out (for storm spotting), trucks and personnel are sent to strategic locations throughout the district to report on weather conditions and give an ‘eyes on’ warning of suspected tornadoes,” Wohlers reported. “This also serves to scatter equipment in the event of a direct hit to the station and we would still be able to have the resources needed to respond. However this does put personnel in harms way to warn our citizens. Such was the case Tuesday night.”
Members positioned west of town reported a small, brief funnel touchdown south of Highway 30.
Firefighter B. Harrington and Chief Wohlers were positioned near Loveland and were looking north in that direction to confirm. Their attention was quickly diverted to their southwest to what appeared in the dark to be the gust front but immediately realized they were in the path of a tornado.
They attempted to exit the path, but were quickly overcome with zero visibility, however they managed to reposition the vehicle to take the winds.
“Thankfully no one was injured and there was no damage to the vehicle, just some grass and mud stuck to the side,” Wohlers said. “I don't tell this story for recognition or praise, but to covey the importance of taking weather warnings seriously. Conditions can change quickly and with little warning, and when it's night, even less.”
