A fire at an Urbandale pallet recycler this afternoon forced firefighters to cut a hole in the structure to keep flames from consuming the building.

Passersby saw the fire at pallet Recyclers of Iowa, 11045 Meredith Drive and reported it at about 5:30 p.m., said Urbandale Fire Chief Jerry Holt.

"Pallets burn very readily," Holt said. "In fact, many fire departments use them for training."

Holt said firefighters used a containment strategy to keep the fire from engulfing the mounds of wooden pallets piled near the burning building.

Fewer than seven firefighters were initially on the scene from Urbandale's combination full time and on call department, Holt said, so firefighters from Johnston and Grimes were called in to help.