Iowa Couple Sues Over Corn Stover Bales Fire Risk

A central Iowa couple have filed a lawsuit over the fire threat they say is posed by thousands of corn stover bales stored across a road from their home.

The Des Moines Register says Burdell and Barbara Clark are suing DuPont Danisco in Story County District Court in Nevada, not far from their 42-acre retirement dream.

The stover is being stored for a cellulosic ethanol plant that’s being built. The Clarks are trying to force the company to move the stover. They say a March blaze threatened to spread to their property. They fear another blaze could do so.

DuPont Danisco says it’s checking into whether additional safeguards “are required at our stover storage locations to further ensure the safety of our employees, emergency responders and the community.”