Officials with the Woodbine Fire Department report a commercial structure fire occurred early this (Friday) morning, in the industrial park. The fire at RDC Truck repair was reported a little after 2-a.m., by a person calling 9-1-1.. When first firefighting units arrived on the scene, they encountered a steel building with heavy fire all through the interior. Crews tapped a hydrant and went to work pulling nearly 3000 feet of various size hose lines. The decision was made by the commanding officers on scene to fight a defensive fire because of the building being structurally unsafe to enter and knowledge of various combustible materials that were stored and used inside.

Authorities say because of the cold and labor intensive work to contain the blaze, mutual aid was requested from other departments. Dunlap, Logan, Missouri Valley, Magnolia and Mondamin all assisted on the scene along with City of Woodbine employees. No further details were immediately available.

Officials with the Woodbine Fire Dept. asked viewers of their social media page to “Please keep the owner and employees that worked in the business in your thoughts and prayers since they now have no place to work.”

(Pictures taken by Woodbine EMS crews that were standing by for rehab or possible injuries).

Iowa farmers are being warned that barn fires are much more likely during prolonged cold spells. Jay Harmon, a swine housing specialist and an ag engineer at the Iowa State University Extension, says some fires occur after barns have been left sitting empty for a while. “We tend to shut the ventilation off because it costs something to heat and that’s when some of the fires have occurred because methane can build up in the barn,” Harmon says. “You get ready for the next group of pigs to come in, you flip the switch on the heater or you raise the temperature on that unvented heater, the flame hits the methane and it can cause a fire.”

Harmon says some fire prevention steps should be taken ahead of time. “Making sure the furnaces are operating properly would be one thing,” Harmon says. “Just normal practices to look for frayed wires or other things that could be an issue, but probably just some of the practices would be important, too.”  Harmon says it’s also critical to ensure safety exits in the barn are accessible. “Making sure you have emergency exits in the barn that are not blocked is important,” Harmon says. “Some of our facilities are quite large and if you’re at the far end and there’s no way out, that’s not a good situation. Always make sure and think of escape routes in case there is a fire.”

Harmon says it’s also a good idea to have fire extinguishers available as well as quick access to water. Also, program the number of the local fire department into your phone.

(Radio Iowa)

BLAIR, Neb. (AP) — The former Dana College campus in Blair will be renamed for the couple donating it to an organization planning to offer housing and programs to low-income elderly, young people aging out of foster care and others. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the 151-acre campus will be called the Frank and Jane Krejci Life and Learning Center. The organization is Angels Share, which is a resource and support for service organizations.

Frank Krejci is an Omaha developer who bought the Dana campus for $3.5 million in 2013. The campus has been closed since 2010 after an accreditation body refused to approve the college’s sale to for-profit investors. Midland University announced in 2013 plans to reopen the campus but dropped them after officials learned the costs were prohibitive compared to other growth options.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health said today (Friday), that the spread and severity of influenza is building in Iowa. The department said there have been four new influenza-related deaths: an elderly (81+ years of age) female and older adult (61 to 80 years of age) female in Southeast Iowa; an elderly female in Northeast Iowa; and an elderly male in Northwest Iowa.

Since October 2017, a total of six influenza-related deaths have been reported:

Northeast (one death)
Northwest (two deaths)
Southeast (two deaths)
Eastern (one death)
The average age of the influenza-related deaths is 86. Three individuals had underlying conditions or contributing factors reported.

State Epidemiologist and IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk said “These deaths are a sad reminder that influenza hits the very young, very old and those with weakened immune systems especially hard. While it’s important that these individuals get the flu vaccine, it’s equally important that young and healthy Iowans be vaccinated so they don’t spread the flu to others who may be at higher risk.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends anyone over 6 months of age receive a flu vaccination. Quinlisk says if you have not received a flu shot yet, it’s not too late. Go get vaccinated today.

Because influenza is not a “reportable” disease in Iowa, doctors are not required to notify IDPH each time a case is diagnosed; however, IDPH conducts influenza surveillance that helps identify what strains of flu are circulating, how widespread illness is, and in what regions of the state illness is occurring. While cases of influenza are not reportable, influenza-related deaths are reported to IDPH. Influenza can be prevented or its severity diminished with the flu vaccine. The flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. It comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days, and often puts healthy people in bed for days.

If flu symptoms start, call your health care provider right away – especially if you are at high risk of complications and serious disease. If you start on anti-viral medications within a day or two of when your symptoms start, your risk of serious disease, hospitalization and even death can be reduced.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 4-year-old child has been found safe inside a sport utility that had been stolen in Sioux City. Sioux City station KTIV reports that the owner told police that the child was inside the running SUV when it was taken early Friday morning near Briar Cliff University. The vehicle was soon found abandoned, and the child was returned home.

No arrest has been reported. The child’s name hasn’t been released.