Initial reports put the cause of the fire to fireworks, but this could not be confirmed.
The fire department received a call reporting a small fire at around 8:30 in the evening and responded with one fire engine. On arrival, they discovered the small fire had expanded to the size of “a couple of pickup trucks” and was being driven by the high winds coming from the southeast. Additional equipment was called in to assist with extinguishing the fire which had grown to approximately two acres in size.
The combined efforts of fifteen firefighters and the farm staff operating two tractors contained the fire within an hour.
Ross Ravelli, a local farmer and owner of the property in question, said he was alerted to the blaze by the fire department, and was able to mobilize heavy equipment to help contain the fire. He said, fortunately, no one was hurt and no buildings were damaged, but it was a close call as there were straw bales and vehicles nearby that could have fuelled the fire into a much more serious blaze.
“It was quite a nerve-racking few hours,” said Ravelli.
He said the damage to his field is minor, and will create only a small inconvenience to remediate.
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