Farm fire damages 25 hay bales
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RONAN — A bale of hay spontaneously combusted on Aug. 26, igniting a fire that destroyed 25 hay bales on a farm on Cornelius Road, Ronan Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Clary said.
Clary explained if hay is baled while wet, hot temperatures may cause the hay to spark.
A neighbor saw the smoke rising from the hay bales on Ken McAlpin’s property and immediately started breaking up the bales with a tractor.
“They had three tractors, and they were grabbing the round bales and pulling them out,” Clary noted.
The Ronan Fire Department responded to the call at 6:30 p.m. The fire engines and equipment blocked the gravel road while the department worked for an hour and a half, spraying the broken hay bales with water and foam.
The Ronan Ambulance also responded, but there were no injuries.
“We checked throughout the night and checked this morning and everything’s fine,” Clary said.
He noted that hay bales usually run about $120 per bale.
