PINE ISLAND -- Firefighters doused flames at a grain elevator this afternoon following a explosion that could be heard around town.

The fire at Farm Country Co-op started around 1:45 p.m. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames but continued to spray water at the top of a grain tower for about an hour.

There were no injuries in the blaze, and the cause isn't clear, said Pine Island Fire Chief Patrick Pike.

"I heard a loud boom, like an explosion," said 52-year-old Marcia Kuhn of Texas, who is staying with relatives who live across the street from the elevator. "We ran outside and we saw at the top of the elevator there were flames coming out of it."

Kuhn said she saw a belt falling within the tower.

"You could see flames coming down with it," she said.

The tower where the fire started is called a leg, and is used to transport grain, Pike said.

The grain elevator has had fires in the past, said former Pine Island Fire Chief Howard Klemmert, who led the department for 12 years until his retirement eight years ago. He has served as a fire department volunteer since his retirement and was at the scene Wednesday.

Farm Country general manager Noel Frana, however, disputed that claim.

"We've never had anything like this happen before," he said.

Frana said he didn't have a cost estimate on the damages, which he said need to be repaired quickly because it's a critical time of the year for the business.

"We've got to get things going here pronto because we're trying to get ready for fall harvest," he said. "It's a busy time of the year for us."

Source: Rochester Post-Bulletin