A machine shed fire in Kalona Saturday night resulted in the loss of much farm equipment.

The Kalona Volunteer Fire Department responded to a call four minutes after midnight and found the machine shed “fully involved” in flame, according to Fire Chief Jerry Zahradnek.  

“The roof had already collapsed and everything inside was on fire upon arrival,” he said.

When it was clear the firefighters would not be able to save the structure or its contents, they “took a defensive stand, kept it from spreading to the next building, and basically let it burn itself out,” Zahradnek said.  

Riverside and Wellman firefighters were enroute to the blaze, but “we turned them around when we realized that there was nothing to save,” he said.

The building at 2475 560th Street SW, Kalona, was owned by Lester Yoder.  The contents of the building belonged to Eric and Elrose Gingerich.  

The equipment housed inside the shed that was lost to the fire included three tractors, a uniloader, a bean drill, a planter, a trailer, and a hay mower.

Zahradneck believes the fire to be accidental, possibly caused by one of the tractors inside the shed.  “An electrical short or something,” he surmises.