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Fire destroyed a barn Monday on the property of Gerald Ascherl, 2744 190th St., east of Fort Dodge.

At around 12:30 p.m., the Duncombe and Vincent fire departments were called to the scene of the blaze - from which black smoke was visible as far away as the Marian Home, 2400 Sixth Ave. N., according to one staffer.

No one was injured. The barn was destroyed.

A steer, which was housed in the barn, managed to break out after the fire started, said Ascherl.

According to Ascherl, he was burning trash earlier Monday morning near the barn.

"I thought I had the fire out," he said.

Ascherl said that shifting winds must have blown the remnants of the fire toward the barn.

"She burned her down," he said.

A passing Iowa Department of Transportation truck driver first noticed the fire and alerted authorities, Ascherl said.

He said the "old barn" was mostly empty except for the steer.

The Webster County Sheriff's Department and Mid-American Energy also responded to the scene.

Contact Jesse Helling at (515) 573-2141 or jhelling@messengernews.net