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Neighbors tell Scott County supervisors smoke from large farm burn forced them from their home
Summary
Residents said multiple large burn pits dug and set alight at a nearby farm sent smoke toward their house, forcing them to leave and prompting a complaint to the Iowa DNR; they urged the board to consider stronger county protections or enforcement.
Dave Gollinghorst told the Scott County Board of Supervisors that his neighbors at a recent farm purchase, identified in his remarks as Grandview Farms, dug several large pits, placed household and farm structures and other debris into them and lit them while it was windy, sending heavy smoke toward his home.
"They lit them and of course it's been fairly windy and the wind was out of the south which blows it right directly to our house, quarter mile away," Gollinghorst said, adding that he called the sheriff and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and filed a complaint. He said his wife has infections and they had to leave their house because the smoke made it unsafe to stay.
His wife, Linda Gollinghorst, described smelling "like a bonfire" from inside their home and said she had to wear a mask when walking to their truck because smoke irritated her nose and throat. "We cannot stay there tonight. It's not safe," she said.
The pair told the board they were concerned about the contents of the burns, which they said included household structures and metal, and they noted uncertainty about hazardous materials such as asbestos or tires. They urged county leaders to consider steps to protect residents from large, unregulated burns rather than leaving disposal to on-site burning.
No formal county action or directive was recorded during the meeting in response to the Gollinghorsts' comments. The pair said they had filed a complaint with the Iowa DNR, which they said would investigate.
The board did not announce any immediate change to county burn permitting or enforcement procedures during the meeting; community members with concerns about smoke and open burning were advised to follow up with county offices and the DNR.
