Historic central Minnesota feed mill destroyed in fire
The Holdingford Feed Mill in central Minnesota is a complete loss following a fire late Sunday evening, according to county officials.
The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says dispatchers received several calls about a fire at the mill at approximately 7:40 p.m. Callers reported they could see flames and hear explosions.
Deputies arrived to find the fire spreading to other areas of the feed mill. Several area fire departments responded and were able to extinguish the flames; however, the building was severely damaged, according to the sheriff's office. Other nearby grain bins are still standing.
No one was at the mill at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
Mill owner Jeff Burg said the fire had already taken over by the time he arrived.
"At 7:45, we were here at 8:00, and the flames were through the roof already. And it, once it broke through, it just went crazy. Once it took off, it was gone," Burg said.
The mill's main structure dated back to 1910. Burg said operations there focused on producing custom feed for farmers, continuing a role mills have historically played in agricultural communities.
"You needed flour for baking. You needed agriculture feed, ground for their cattle. And so they would build a mill and build a town around it," Burg said.
Fire departments from across the area responded to the scene. Residents were asked to conserve water to support firefighting efforts, and Burg said the response drained the town's water tower as crews worked to contain the flames.
On Monday morning, Burg said he began hearing from neighboring mills and business owners offering support to help keep his customers supplied.
"At least seven have text me or called me that they're willing to help out. That's huge, huge. I had orders for today's delivery, and they were able to shift their schedules around to accommodate me," he said.
Local businesses also stepped in. Burg said the Hardware Hank store across the street offered him temporary office space so operations could continue.
"Local hardware store right across the trail here ... he's already offered to allow us upstairs. There's offices up there, so it's within eyesight of the mill. We could still sell feed out of here and run it out of there."
Burg said he was also able to recover critical business records, including customer information and feed rations, allowing him to begin coordinating deliveries through other mills.
As of Monday, the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Located about 25 miles northwest of St. Cloud and bout 90 miles northwest of Minneapolis, the Holdingford Feed Mill has been operating for nearly 130 years.
