(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has ordered three people to pay $10,000 apiece for burning 10 chicken confinement buildings near Villisca last year, without proper approval. Shawn Gohlinghorst of Red Oak and Darrel Schipansky of Villisca were recently fined for the June 29, 2023, fires. The DNR had previously fined Tyson Means of Villisca.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch previously reported the men had sought to raze the dilapidated buildings and grow crops on the land. Schipansky owned the property at the time of the fires, and Gohlinghorst and Means later bought it on contract.

Although state law typically forbids people from burning buildings to dispose of them — because of the potential to diminish air quality — there are exceptions for agricultural buildings. However, the men failed to inspect the buildings for asbestos, and they did not get approval from the local fire chief, which was required because the buildings were within city limits.

Each of the wood-framed buildings was 50 feet wide and 728 feet long, the DNR orders said. They were ignited about 3 p.m., after recent rainfall. Emergency responders were not aware of the fires before nearby residents began calling about them. “Various governmental entities in Montgomery, Page and Adams counties received dozens of telephone calls regarding the fire and black smoke,” the DNR orders said.

Fires burned 10 former chicken confinement buildings near Villisca in June 2023. (Photo by Brian Hamman/courtesy of Iowa DNR)

Brian Hamman, emergency management coordinator for Montgomery County, said the fires burned into the night, and that their smoke and glow were visible for miles. They were so large that it would have taken nearly 10 area fire departments to extinguish them if they began to spread, the orders said, but they remained confined to the building sites.

Sampling of the building debris did not reveal any asbestos, but it was not possible to determine whether asbestos existed in the building before the fires, the orders said. Gohlinghorst and Means disposed of the remaining debris at a landfill in September and October 2023.

All three men agreed to pay the $10,000 fines, which is the highest amount the DNR can assess administratively.