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Blaze engulfs JBS lagoon

Estimated damage: $500K

T-R PHOTO BY MARK JORGENSEN A giant fireball and smoke erupt from a JBS lagoon in the 800 block of East Marion Street Saturday morning. Crews from the Marshalltown Fire Department were on scene. Streets in a several block radius were blocked off. Also assisting were Alliant Energy, the Marshalltown Police Department and Central Iowa Healthcare Emergency Management Service.

The investigation into a weekend fire that caused serious damage to the methane collection lagoon at the JBS pork producing plan remains ongoing.

According to officials, the Marshalltown Fire Department was called out to the lagoon in the 800 block of Marion Street about 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Once there, firefighters began working on the blaze, which took roughly three hours to extinguish, using water from attack hose lines and elevated master streams.

No one, JBS employees, firefighters or any nearby residents, were injured in Saturday’s incident.

According to reports, in conjunction with JBS employees, the plant production facility was isolated from the collection system to prevent any gas exposure.

According to the JBS engineering department, estimated damage to the lagoon is approximately $500,000.

Officials said the plant was still in operation.

Marshalltown Fire Chief David Rierson, who was out of town during the blaze, told the T-R the fire’s exact cause is still under investigation.

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