Fire damaged a Jackson County business this afternoon.

It happened at Chippewa Bi products and Countryside Hides.
That's on Lea Brothers Road off Highway 95, just outside Alma Center.

Firefighters from seven departments fought the flames for five hours. The Alma Center Fire Chief says around 2:30 Thursday afternoon, employees noticed the fire and called 911. Crews say at one point the flames were 10 to 20 feet in the air. Firefighters doused the flames from above and called in a backhoe to tear most of the big building down.

Fire Chief Jeff Gaede says it appears an electrical problem started the fire, but it's still under investigation. No one was hurt. Xcel had to cut power to Alma Center for about a half an hour.

The Chippewa Bi Products company makes alligator food and dog food. The chief says the damage estimate is unknown. He says there were some carcasses and a couple of grinders inside the building that burned.