Photo by Samantha Davis Area fire fighters tend to a small fire during the demolition derby Saturday evening at the Lyon County Fair.

MARSHALL — The Lyon County Fair hosted the demolition derby Saturday night, bringing a thrilling show of clashing cars and roaring engines to eager spectators. 

The event hosted four classes of cars to compete: Full size street stock, compact chain stock, compact weld and mighty mini chain. The demolition came after two nights of rodeos, where crew could replenish the dirt and change the arena around. The grandstands quickly filled up with fans as the drivers took to the track. 

The night began with a friendly derby between three young children, each getting a small, battery-operated car to bump into one another with. The three of them walked away with first place trophies, holding them up to the crowd as they were cheered on.

Each of the cars for the demolition were decorated by their drivers, most with names, businesses or an array of colors. Every vehicle had a number for identity. In demolition derby, all glass is removed from vehicles to keep windows and point of entry and exit easily accessible. 

All of the drivers also had painted orange sticks that they would throw out their cars when they are unable to compete anymore, due to damage to the vehicle during competition. The remaining cars continued to battle until there was one left in each class. 

Also in attendance to help the event run smoothly was a handful of firefighters and first responders to ensure safety. 

Kelvin Listul, assistant fire chief of the Cottonwood Fire Department, said they enjoy coming out to the derbies and being able to help where needed. 

“This is more for entertainment. Our everyday duties are more surprising than this. This is a controlled environment,” Listul said. “There aren’t too many surprises when we come to this … But in our everyday duties, you just never know what the next call will bring.” 

Several crew members were lined about around the arena, sporting red and green flags to detail when drivers were able to compete and when they needed to stop. 

Listul has worked several demolition derbies throughout the county. The Marshall, Minneota, Lynd and Ghent departments were also there in support. 

“We do train in auto extrication and auto fires. We train multiple times a year for that,” Listul said. “We end up training multiple times a year for auto accidents, as a lot of our calls are for car accidents.” 

Each of the firefighter squads had fire extinguishers and pry bars, in the case they had to pry someone out of the vehicle. Only a few, small car fires broke out throughout the night, but were quickly handled. 

“We’re looking for fires. And then usually the officials will notify us to come out, there’s a signal for us to come out,” Listul said. “We’re also looking to make sure that the drivers are in good health and aren’t injured.” 

Each of the fire departments are asked yearly to come out and volunteer for the event. Between each class, they also watered down the arena.  

“We just prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Listful said. “We just enjoy helping and using some of our training to assist.”