Updated Friday, August 24th at 6:19 MT:
Haakon County Emergency Management officials want citizens in Philip to stay away from parts of downtown as CHS Midwest Cooperative crews move wheat from a buckling grain bin.
First responders were called to the Co-Op's Grain Elevator on Cherry Street after the buckle was discovered. Officials then evacuated downtown Philip and created a perimeter around the site.
A statement from the co-op reads that the public "is not in imminent danger" as crews complete the transferring process. Emergency management officials want the public to stay away from the south side of Oak Street, Fireman Park, and the area around the elevator. They say area fire departments are being released from the scene.
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Original story:
Officials have evacuated downtown Philip due to a buckling grain bin at the CHS Midwest Cooperative elevator on Cherry Street.
Haakon County Emergency Management Director Lori Quinn says Philip Mayor Michael Vetter has issued a state of caution.
"This morning, it was noticed that the grain bin had a buckle in it. About 9:30, [the] Fire Department was notified for some traffic control and also response for any further incidents. They've evacuated downtown Philip. I want to state there is NOT a state of emergency in Phillip, we're just under caution at this point."
Quinn says the Haakon County Sheriff's Office, the Philip Police Department, and firefighters from communities in Haakon and Pennington Counties are some of the personnel at the site. She says co-op engineers are working with first responders.
"Midwest Co-Op is working on slowly moving grain from the affected bin to a separate location to relieve some of the pressure and hopefully pull that grain down below the level of that buckle."
Officials with the South Dakota Department of Transportation say traffic is slow on State Highway 73 due to the issue. Officials encourage motorists to find another route this afternoon.