An attempt to smoke out an animal left the Chapel United Methodist Church near Green Mountain a pile of rubble yesterday.

Someone tried to use a smoke bomb to chase the animal out, instead the building caught fire and it took at least seven fire crews to put out the fire and make sure the blaze didn’t spread to nearby fields.

The dry, windy conditions have resulted in the state Fire Marshall issuing a burn ban for some of our area counties, including Jasper County.

A massive fire in Story County yesterday tore across a cornfield between Maxwell and Nevada yesterday. It took four hours to control. Investigators say that fast-moving fire may’ve been sparked by a smoldering cigarette tossed in a ditch.  Fourteen Iowa counties now have burn bans in place.