Idaho Haystack Fire Burns For Days
July 25--MURTAUGH -- A haystack fire that started early Tuesday still is burning. About 357 tons of hay had been lost by Wednesday afternoon.
"Haystack fires go for about a week," said Taylor Hunsaker, spokesman for Rock Creek Fire District.
With hay currently averaging $200 a ton, the losses likely will exceed $71,400.
The hay was too damp when it was baled, Hunsaker said. When wet hay is heated by the sun, it often burns due to a combination of chemical and physical reactions.
Firefighters responded to a call about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and helped the farmer pull his haystacks away from each other and anything else that was threatened.
The owner signed a waiver to say he would continue to monitor the fire.
No structures or other equipment were threatened, Hunsaker said.
Copyright 2013 - The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho