Log jam in Cedar River catches fire in Linn County

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A pile of dead trees caught fire Saturday afternoon, causing a minor traffic disruption on a nearby highway.

Around 3:50 p.m., the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies were dispatched to the scene of a fire in the Cedar River near the Iowa Highway 100 bridge. Responders located the fire in a tree line near the Iowa Northern Railroad bridge.

Officers closed the right lane of eastbound traffic during the firefighting operation. It took about 400 feet of water hose from the highway bridge to reach firefighters who had been positioned on a sandbar in the river.

No one was injured in the fire.

The Linn County Sheriff’s Rescue Division, Iowa State Patrol, Palo Fire Department, Atkins Fire Department and Shellsburg Fire Department were involved in the emergency response.

No cause was given for the fire.