A fire destroyed a storage building behind Heartland Co-op on January 28th and Newton Fire Marshall Jacob Halferty says a semi likely started it. According to Halferty, an investigation was unable to determine the fire’s exact cause, but he says they believe it started from a mechanical failure in a semi parked in the building, and spread from there. The 60×80 foot building was deemed a total loss, along with all the other items stored inside. A monetary figure on the loss has yet to be released.

The fire was reported just after 7:30 am on January 28th, and was out within two hours according to Newton Fire Chief Jarrod  Wellik. Firefighters were at the scene until after 1 p.m., and Wellik said one firefighter sustained a minor injury and returned to the job after being seen at the Newton Clinic. Area fire departments that assisted at the scene included Baxter, Colfax, Kellogg, Mingo, and Monroe.