Area crews battled a fire at the South Central Iowa Solid Waste Agency (SCIWA) landfill early Tuesday morning.

It happened sometime before 5am, according to SCISWA Director Rick Hurt. He says a crew came to the cell with waste from Poweshiek County when they discovered the fire on the edge of the new cell.

The cell affected is a new one that was just beginning to be filled. Hurt says a preliminary investigation shows minimal damage and no damage to the lining of the cell was noticed. He believes wet sand helped minimized the damage.

Hurt says the cause of the fire is not yet known. Clay Township Fire Department, Harvey Fire Department, Knoxville Township Rural Fire Department, Knoxville Fire and Rescue, Marion County Emergency Management, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the call.