Bird's nest causes fire in Stanton County hog operation

NORTHEAST Neb. -- A hog barn southwest of Pilger caught fire Tuesday when a generator's exhaust pipe was set ablaze.

According to Pilger Fire Chief Kory Koehlmoos, authorities were on the scene within 10 minutes when the insulation around a generator exhaust was on fire. Firefighters battled the blaze in the office section of the building, extinguishing the flames within a half hour.

Koehlmoos says the cause of the fire was a bird's nest that was formed in the exhaust of a generator in the building. Due to the exhaust and high heat, the nest caught fire, which started the blaze around it. 

"What happened was there a bird's nest that got on top of that exhaust pipe over time and started to smolder which caused the insulation to start on fire which we contained just basically within 2-3 feet of the exhaust pipe," Koehlmoos explained. 

Koehlmoos says no injuries were reported, and damage to the building is minimal.