On Saturday, December 2nd, 2017 at 3:36 p.m. the Epworth Fire Department was notified by the Dubuque County 911 Center of a fully involved chicken coop fire at 6587 Dutch Lane Road, rural Epworth. Upon arrival, firefighters found a small farm building destroyed by fire. The farm is owned by Madeline Connolly. 12 Firefighters responded and remained on the scene for an hour. The building is considered a total loss. Damage is estimated at $2,000. The Epworth Fire Department was also assisted at the scene by the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office. The cause of the fire was determined to have started when a nearby trash fire spread to adjoining grass and then caught the building on fire. The chicken coop was not operating at the time of the fire and the fire was contained to the building. No injuries were reported.