The blaze at 2755 200th St., east of Fort Dodge, was reported at 10:23 p.m. Friday. Firefighters from five departments were on the scene until 4 a.m. Saturday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

During their efforts to extinguish the blaze, firefighters had to fill up tanker trucks at hydrants as far away as the Koch Nitrogen plant on 200th Street and at the intersection of Fifth Avenue South and 42nd Street in Fort Dodge.

A large forklift was used to knock down an overhead door so that firefighters could attack the flames.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Firefighters direct two streams of water into the garage area of a large building at 2755 200th St. that once housed DK Diesel of Fort Dodge during a Friday night fire that burned into the early hours of Saturday morning.

DK Diesel moved out of the building in early June and relocated to another building just to the west on 200th Street.

The fire-damaged building is owned by Bri Properties LLC, of Watertown, South Dakota, according to online records of the Webster County Assessor’s Office. The oldest part of the building was constructed in 1967, with three additions built in later years, those records indicate.

The building was home to Northwest Iowa Transportation, a charter bus company, from about 1990 to 2010.

Firefighters from Vincent, Duncombe, Otho, Badger and Lehigh responded along with Webster County sheriff’s deputies.