An estimated 2,000 gallons of oil was lost during a fire in Kalona last week. The fire occurred at the former Vel-Donna Fertilizer Plant at 215 South 14th Street, which stored steel drums and plastic totes filled with oil. Iowa DNR Environmental Specialist Senior Paul Brandt says during the fire the totes melted and the lids of the barrels popped off, leading oil to pool in a nearby ditch.

The company that rents the building, Hershberger Oil, has hired a cleanup contractor. They started their work on Wednesday, the day after the fire. Brandt says a vac truck was used to pump the oil out of the ditch and soil has been removed and sent to the Iowa City landfill.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.