(Le Mars) — A defective heater in a hog barn was the cause of a fire that started at about 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning prompting the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department to respond. The fire was located at 34756 160th Street. Bob Puetz, the owner of the hog facilities, was doing chores when he could smell smoke. He says he looked around the landscape to see who may have been burning, but didn’t notice anything. He then stepped inside his hog barn and noticed the barn was filled with smoke. The barn was filled with small feeder pigs, but fortunately, no pigs were injured. The fire was confined to the ceiling of the hog barn burning insulation and a wood rafter. Fire fighters were able to extinguish the fire fairly quickly. Damage to the facility is estimated to be at about $2000. Fire fighters were on the scene for nearly an hour and 45 minutes.
