Marion nonprofit loses equipment to machine shed fire

MARION — A fire in a machine shed in Marion over the weekend resulted in the loss of everything in the building, including two trucks, a bobcat and other large equipment owned by Monarch Research Project.

Monarch Research Project is a nonprofit organization that focuses on reestablishing native habitats for pollinators in Iowa. The nonprofit has its headquarters in Marion, at 4970 Lakeside Rd.

The fire broke out Saturday at about 4:45 p.m. in a machine shed on the nonprofit’s property. According to Augie Bergstrom, the manager of the organization’s Monarch Research Station, no one had been in the shed in more than 24 hours before the fire started.

“It was a maintenance shed. It had some of our equipment in it. It was completely burned to the ground. We lost everything inside,” Bergstrom said. “Our operation is mostly unaffected. The event center is completely fine. The Monarch Research Station is completely fine. If a building was going to go, we were glad it was that one.”

The organization doesn’t have an estimate yet for the total cost of the destroyed property, according to Bergstrom.

Lakeside Road was closed between East Post Road and Rosedale Road for about three hours Saturdays while crews from various departments fought the fire.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire still is under investigation, according to a news release from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

Departments that responded to the fire include the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Marion Fire, Cedar Rapids Fire, Springville Fire, Mount Vernon Fire, Third Fire District and Linn Area Ambulance, the release states.

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