(Red Oak, Iowa) – An issue with farm equipment was the apparent cause of a field fire in Montgomery County early Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters from Red Oak, Elliott, Stanton and Essex were called to the scene located in the area of 250th Street and I Avenue, a little after 12:50-p.m.

According to Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce, a combine at that location experienced a minor mechanical failure, which caused a small fire in the corn field. Farm equipment operators, Bruce said, extinguished the fire before it spread into standing corn.

Red Oak FD Facebook page photo (9-16-25)

He thanked the equipment operators for their assistance, as well as farmers who responded with their disc implements, in case the firewere to spread.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, Montgomery County Emergency Management and Montgomery County Communications assisted in handling the incident.