All that black smoke folks saw in east Marshalltown yesterday? That was due to workers using cutting torches on metal near dry grass and brush in high wind conditions.

The Marshalltown Fire Department, along with help from 8 other communities spent seven hours putting out the fire in an approximate 6-acre junkyard.

When crews arrived just before 11:30 yesterday morning, the fire was already well established with plenty of junk material providing fuel to the flames and in an area that was not easy for firefighters to get at.

No injuries were reported and no structures caught on fire.