5:00 I brought some food down to the hay field for Brad
since I expected him to be working late.
When I got there I saw smoke!
Click Images to Enlarge:
The Big Round Baler was on fire !
Brad had already put out the 2 fires in the hay
field before I arrived.
Brad drove the baler over to a green field that wasn't
cut for hay, so it would be safer than the dry hay fields.
The river was nearby.
My father-in-law was raking hay in the next field so arrived
quickly to help.
I drove to the barn to retrieve buckets.
Two neighbors showed up to help, with fire extinguishers.
We fought the fire for nearly an hour.
At this point the fire in mostly extinguished, but
still smoldering in places.
Brad climbed on top of the baler and dumped buckets
of water down inside it.
The belts continued to smolder, so the guys
are removing them.
At this point the burning belts have been removed.
The guys are trying to determine what started the fire.
A bearing went out on the bottom roller of the door.
It ignited the hay bale that was inside the baler.
The hay bale ignited the belts.
The burning rubber belts really fed the fire and
got it hot.
Brad is optimistic, at this point, and is hoping he can replace
the belts and the bearing and some wiring that burned and
have the baler up and running in a few days.
As you can see we are surrounded by dry hay fields and timber.
We are so very lucky the fire was contained and didn't spread
throughout the valley.
It was truly our lucky day!
May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn
So glad you were able to get the fire out and that no one was hurt. Must have been a very scary experience.
ReplyDeleteFire like that is *no* fun. My husband is a fire fighter and the stories he tells... I'm glad you all are safe and were able to get the fire(s) out with minimal loss. :)
ReplyDeleteWow - fire in a field is never good. Here combines catch on fire occasionally during corn and soybean harvest and the fire can spread quickly through the dry fields. Glad you got it out before it got away from you.
ReplyDeleteLuAnn, I'm impressed by your positive outlook! I had just been thinking that you'd had a tough few days - then I read your last sentence!
ReplyDeleteMay you always see the bright side of life, and yes, I thank God along with you that the fire didn't spread.
so, so thankful, LuAnn!
ReplyDeleteso glad you all got that fire under control.
ReplyDelete