$250K in hay destroyed in two separate shed fires near Echuca
Dramatic video shows the scene of an out of control hay fire which confronted firefighters west of Echuca on Monday night.
Goulburn Valley
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About $250,000 worth of hay has been destroyed in two separate fires at an Echuca farm on Sunday and Monday.
A hay shed on the Echuca-Mitiamo Rd burst into flames just before lunchtime on Sunday and it took crews from the Echuca, Bamawm Extension, Kotta, Rochester, Torrumbarry and Lockington brigades around two hours to bring the blaze under control and then another three hours to make it safe.
Echuca CFA captain Rob Amos said it was a dramatic debut for five of his brigade’s newest members – and was also a very stark warning to any farmers who have been, or still are cutting hay.
Mr Amos says spontaneous ignition is the leading cause of haystack fire in Victoria, and just one damp bale is enough to ignite a haystack.
“Green, or damp, hay encourages elements such as bacteria and fungi to grow and decompose,” he says.
“A series of complex biological and chemical reactions can then cause a build-up that allows hay to heat. This can produce flammable gasses which may ignite.”
Two haystacks on the same farm also went up in flames on Monday night despite the efforts of brigades from around the region.
By the time Echuca CFA arrived at the scene on Echuca-Mitiamo Rd just after midnight, a large shed filled with hay was well alight and an adjoining stack of similar size was also on fire.
Both stacks were destroyed.
However, the Echuca members were able to save a third stack in a smaller shed after hot spots started fires in a couple of bales.
Mr Amos said they were on site until around 4.30am.
“It was a distressing outcome for the farmer, it was a lot of hay. And although the saved hay is okay, the burnt stacks will smoulder and smoke will be seen from a distance for the next few days,” Rob said.
“Again I would urge farmers who have cut hay to make sure they have taken every step to only store dry hay.”
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