MENOMONIE - The owners of a loaded corn bin and dryer that caught fire early Tuesday are looking for a replacement dryer to keep their business running through the end of the harvest season.

Rusk Prairie Grain, owned by Ron and LuAnn Prochnow and Henry Thomas, all of Menomonie, lost about 4,000 bushels of corn in the fire near Tainter Lake.

LuAnn Prochnow said the dryer and bin, valued at about $400,000, and all the corn, valued at $17,560, were a total loss.

"We don't know what we're going to do," Prochnow said. "We're scrambling to see about getting a different dryer.

"We're just very happy no one was injured."

The owners have insurance, according to the Menomonie Fire Department.

Remains of the burned corn are being removed from the bin and dryer to try to determine a cause of the fire, Prochnow said.

Firefighters were called to the scene, N7880 Highway G, about 2:24 a.m. The department was alerted by a Dunn County sheriff's deputy, who said fire and smoke could be seen several miles away.

Mutual aid was provided by the Glenwood City, Boyceville, Sand Creek, Colfax, Elk Mound and Township fire departments. Firefighters remained on scene just more than six hours.

Flames could be seen coming from the top and sides of the 75-foot-tall corn bin when firefighters arrived, said Menomonie Chief Jack Baus.

"Because it was in a rural area, we had to shuttle water," he said. "The corn was burning near the top of the structure."

With other corn storage silos near the dryer and bin, and because of the design, firefighters had a hard time attacking the blaze. They used a snorkel with an elevated water stream.

"It's primarily a steel structure, which is very difficult to get water on," Baus said. "It is ventilated, so the (corn dryer) fire can burn, but you can't get water into it because the holes are so small.

"Corn burns hot. There was a large amount of fuel, the corn being the fuel for the fire."

Highway G was closed in the area of the fire largely because there were 10 tankers shuttling water to the scene.

"We felt it was the safest thing to do," Baus said. "It was dark out. People driving by are looking at the scene and not paying attention to emergency vehicles."

In addition, water was starting to freeze on the road and sand trucks were needed for the ice, Baus said.

Powers can be reached at 715-556-9018 or [email protected].