A large grass fire near Summit Road and Radio Tower Road was reported to the Albion Fire Department (AFD) late Sunday morning, and it required six fire departments to contain.

According to Aaron Betts, the fire chief at AFD, the fire burned 700 acres, and firefighters from Albion, State Center, Clemons, Haverhill, Liscomb and Marshalltown all helped to contain it. On Monday morning, the fire was still burning. Betts said the timber surrounding the area was too thick for firefighters to get through in order to fully extinguish it, but he hopes it will burn itself out on its own.

The blaze damaged the radio station KFJB’s transmitting equipment, and Todd Steinkamp, the owner and general manager of the station, said damages included a cable bridge, transmission lines, and a section of fencing located along the base of their radio tower. These damages interrupted KFJB’s AM broadcast for most of Monday, but it was back up on half power in the late afternoon.

“We probably won’t be able to go back to full power until we get all the repairs done. We’re probably looking at about a four-to-six-week window to get everything up and running at full power,” Steinkamp said.

The fire was wind driven, according to a news release published by the Marshalltown Fire Department (MFD) on Monday, and they reminded community members that city ordinances prohibit open burning when wind speeds are 15 miles per hour or greater.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.