Hay bale blaze could smoulder for weeks
The fire chief in Outlook says he expects piles of silage at the Elcan Forage bale processing plant to continue smouldering for the next few weeks.
The area is still smoky following a fire that broke out Friday afternoon at around 4:40 p.m. at the plant located about seven kilometres east of Outlook.
It destroyed between 1,000 and 1,200 bales of hay along with two small buildings, said fire chief Dalas King. One building contained machinery and the other was an electrical outbuilding.
The fire started when a silage pile combusted, King said.
“But we faced really strong winds that day from the east,” he continued, saying that this pushed the flames towards a nearby stack of bales.
Fire teams tried to extinguish the bales immediately upon arrival, but the wind forced King’s crews to take a defensive stance and focus on saving surrounding buildings, which number about a dozen.
It took until 12:30 p.m. Saturday to bring the fire under control.
Damage is estimated at $100,000 but that figure is expected to climb, he said.
No one was injured.
As for the cause of the combustion, King said moisture content and temperature variations cause silage to heat throughout the year.
Fire can be prevented by regularly turning the piles.