OTO, Iowa - A fast-moving grass fire came close to destroying a farmstead Tuesday afternoon near Oto.

Firefighters from six different eastern Woodbury County communities pitched in to save the Alta Patterson farm near the 3800 block of 270th Street north of Oto and south of Anthon, Iowa. The fire came close but stopped where a fire break was made by tilling the soil in a soybean field near the farm's out-buildings.

Chief Mike Berning of the Anthon Community Fire Department said the blaze started at approximately 3:10 p.m. after the neighboring property's landowner to the south burned brush and stumps after working on an earthen dam. Dry conditions and a south breeze fanned the flames to the north and quickly burned up the dry grass of a CRP and soybean field near the farmhouse.

"We tried to get as far ahead (of the fire) as we could and make a break," Berning said. "We couldn't get close because it went so fast. We got a neighbor's tractor and disk in here to keep it from going into the buildings."

There have been grass fires nearly every day for about a week in the area due to the dry conditions, Berning said. Tuesday's fire burned several acres of grass and a soybean field with flames that were 15 to 20 feet tall in places. Smoke could be seen from Sioux City.

Steve Brown, who is Alta Patterson's son-in-law and lives on the farm, said he was driving home from Sioux City and saw the smoke from about 30 miles away. He knew where the fire was even from that distance because he knew the neighbors were burning.

"The wind came up and it got away from them," Brown said.

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An aerial view showing the 10 year and the soybeans that burned in the fire.

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A cousin rents the land on which the beans were growning, and the crop was insured. No one was injured in the fire.

Volunteer firefighters from the following communities assisted in fighting the grass fire: Danbury, Oto, Correctionville, Smithland, Anthon and Hornick. Woodbury County Emergency Services also assisted by providing water to the firefighters.