What initially started as a grass fire response turned into a lengthy hay bale fire incident for Chase County Fire crews.
Firefighters were dispatched to 2676 V Road, about six miles northeast of Strong City, around 7 am and weren’t cleared until noon. Chase County Fire Chief Steve Fillmore says an unlisted number of round bales were on fire as they were stacked around a silage pit. Fillmore says firefighters worked with the unnamed landowner and also used a front-end loader to move the burning bales from the pit. The bales were transported to an open field and allowed to burn themselves out.
No injuries were reported.
Chase and Greenwood counties were the two area counties not included in a red flag warning for critical fire danger Friday, but the fire danger was still very high all day, due to temperatures around 70 degrees, low relative humidity levels, dry grasses and gusty breezes. Wind speeds were up to 25 mph at times during the emergency response.
