BOONE, Iowa—One of the features Midland Power Cooperative planned when it was first announced that they would located an office in Boone was a training feature for line personnel. The dedication was planned for next week. The fire Thursday has now delayed that dedication. Midland released this statement:

Yesterday’s fire at Midland Power Cooperative’s Boone administrative office warehouse has forced the co-op to postpone next week’s line worker training field dedication. The event, initially scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, will be rescheduled in the coming weeks.

The 7,500-square-foot warehouse caught fire Thursday around 3:30 p.m. The building was unoccupied when the fire broke out and all Midland Power employees were safely accounted for. The building, as well as two pickups, an SUV, and a forklift, were destroyed. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

While the warehouse was a total loss, the adjacent Boone administrative office was undamaged and is open for regular business hours.

The fire had no impact on electric service and hasn’t affected the cooperative’s ability to respond to future unplanned power outages.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Boone and Ogden Fire Departments for their rapid responses and outstanding work,” said Midland Power CEO Bill McKim. “We appreciate their courage and dedication to protecting public safety. I’m especially thankful that no one was injured. While a building can always be replaced, our employees and brave firefighters cannot.”