No injuries reported as concrete grain silo collapsed Wednesday afternoon in the small Iroquois County, Illinois community of Martinton.
An unrelated 10:30 a.m. request for an ambulance at the Donovan Farmers Co-Op Elevator on the east side of the Martinton fire district, brought first responders within eyesight of the silos at the facility. During that incident, one of the ambulance personnel happened to look in the direction of the fated silo, constructed in 1972 and filled with 30,000 bushels of harvested soybeans. With that glance he noticed a bulge of concrete and rebar beginning to form on the north side of the silo. Recognizing the potential for a significant life safety situation he notified the Martinton Fire Chief, Jeff Meyer. At approximately 11:15 a.m. Chief Meyer requested fire personnel from Martinton as well as the adjacent communities of Papineau and Watseka to the elevator. These fire crews were tasked with identifying and evacuating employees from the immediate vicinity of the silo and establishing a protected potential collapse zone. An accurate count of facility workers was obtained and the removal of the grain from within the structure began. At approximately 12:45 p.m. a shift with the grain contained in the silo was noted and an evacuation of the immediate area was ordered. Within minutes of that order- at approximately 12:52 p.m., the silo started to crumble and collapse. As it fell, it landed on the main structure of power lines and poles that fed the entire village. Following the collapse Chief Meyer requested additional assistance from Ashkum Fire and a standby ambulance from Riverside.
“Thanks to the observant eye of the ambulance personnel at the original call we were able to evacuate and secure the area around the silo.” Martinton Fire Chief Jeff Meyer said, “This action certainly prevented what may have been life threatening injuries or even fatalities. I am extremely grateful to the ambulance crew for bringing this situation to my attention. Throughout the incident no injuries were reported.”
As of 9:00 p.m. Wednesday the streets and area around the elevator remain closed as crews work throughout the night to clean up the spilled grain and debris. Ameren continues to get the poles and lines reconstructed, allowing electric to be restored to the community. Power officials are still uncertain about the time required but estimates of between 3:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Thursday are being mentioned.
This release from Iroquois County EMA was compiled with information received from Chief Meyer and is being distributed to the media with EMA acting as a public information officer
