LOUISA COUNTY, Iowa — Fire officials in Louisa County battled a ditch fire earlier this week caused by an animal, officials say.
Right before 3 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, Wapello Fire and Rescue responded to 145th Street in rural Louisa County, just west of Highway 61, for a ditch fire. The fire stretched around half a mile and it appeared a high-voltage overhead electric line fell onto the ground.
Crews monitored the fire until the electricity could be cut. The fire was then quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported. Officials say a raccoon had climbed a pole and shorted out an electric insulator, causing the blaze.
Wapello Fire was assisted by Eastern Iowa Light and Power and the Louisa County Sheriff's Office.
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