Campus Alert Archive
ISU

Hay Smolders for Hours Inside Iowa State Dairy Barn as Four Departments Race Against a Thunderstorm

IAfireadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

A hay fire ignited inside the hay-storage building at the Iowa State University Dairy Barn in the early morning hours of June 20, 2025, bringing four fire departments and university staff to the 52400 block of 260th Street in Ames. Ames Fire Department crews contained the blaze within about 20 minutes of arriving but remained on scene for hours as smoldering bales reignited and a thunderstorm complicated operations. No livestock injuries were reported, and structural damage was limited to hay loss.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Iowa State University
Public R1 · IA
~28,000 studentsISU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction248 chars
ISU Facilities Notice: Fire crews are responding to a hay fire at the ISU Dairy Barn facility on 260th Street. The situation is being managed by the Ames Fire Department. There is no threat to the main campus. Updates will be provided as available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Ames Fire Department received the call at approximately 2:20 AM CDT on June 20, 2025, per CBS2 Iowa and KCRG reporting; ISU staff were on site to assist with hay bale removal, indicating an institutional notification was issued internally even if no campus-wide ISU Alert was sent
The dairy barn is located off the main campus on 260th Street near Ames Municipal Airport, explaining the advisory rather than emergency-notification classification -- no immediate threat to students or faculty on main campus
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction247 chars
ISU Facilities Update: The hay fire at the ISU Dairy Barn has been extinguished. Fire crews have cleared the scene. No livestock were injured. Operations will resume following an assessment of the hay storage building. Thank you for your patience.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

KCRG reported that fire crews remained on scene through a thunderstorm with heavy rain and strong winds to prevent rekindling, and cleared the scene at approximately 10:00 AM CDT -- roughly 7.5 hours after the initial call
ISU staff operated heavy equipment on site to remove burning bales and give firefighters access to the seat of the fire, indicating close institutional involvement throughout the incident
Context

Background

The Iowa State University Dairy Barn is part of ISU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences teaching farm complex, located on 260th Street in Ames near the Ames Municipal Airport -- separate from the main academic campus. In the early morning hours of June 20, 2025, a fire broke out in the hay storage section of the barn. The Ames Fire Department responded at approximately 2:20 AM CDT and contained the blaze within about 20 minutes of arrival, though the hay continued to smolder for hours as crews worked to access bales at the center of the structure. ISU staff used heavy equipment to remove burning bales and give firefighters better access, and four departments responded in total: Ames Fire Department, Kelley/West Story Fire Association, Huxley Fire Rescue, and Slater Fire Department. A thunderstorm with heavy rain and strong winds moved through during the response, complicating operations and requiring crews to remain on scene until approximately 10:00 AM CDT to ensure no rekindling. Approximately two-thirds of the hay bales were lost; the cause was listed as undetermined. The incident illustrates the distinct emergency advisory pattern used when a university farm facility -- physically separate from main campus -- is involved, requiring operational coordination but no campus-wide lockdown or shelter-in-place.
Analysis

Key Findings

The fire occurred at ISU's off-campus Dairy Barn facility on 260th Street, not on the main academic campus, explaining the advisory rather than emergency-notification Clery classification
Four fire departments responded; the Ames Fire Department arrived within 5 minutes and contained the fire in about 20 minutes, but smoldering required a 7.5-hour on-scene presence
ISU staff operated heavy equipment on site to assist firefighters, reflecting the close institutional integration of the teaching farm into university emergency operations
A thunderstorm complicated the response and required crews to remain on scene to prevent rekindling -- a complication not typical of structure fires
No verbatim ISU Alert text was published; both alert texts are honest reconstructions from Iowa State Daily, CBS2 Iowa, and KCRG reporting
Outcome
The fire was contained within the hay storage building. Approximately one-third of the hay bales were salvaged. No injuries to livestock or personnel were reported. The cause of the fire was listed as undetermined.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Hay fire contained at ISU's Dairy Barn -- Iowa State Daily
    iowastatedaily.com
  2. News
    Ames Fire Department tackles hay fire at Iowa State University Dairy Barn -- CBS2 Iowa
    cbs2iowa.com
  3. News
    Crews battle fire at Iowa State University Dairy Barn -- KCRG
    kcrg.com
  4. News
    Fire at hay storage barn at Iowa State University Dairy -- WHO-13
    who13.com
Tags
fireagricultural-facilitydairy-barnteaching-farmhay-fireiowamultiple-departmentsland-grant-universityadvisory
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion