Hay fire burns in unincorporated Merced County

Firefighters monitored a haystack fire Thursday that ignited the day before and was still smoldering but under control, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

There were no estimates as to when the fire will be out.

The fire burned in a feed preparation area near a pile of silage on a 2,000-head dairy farm on McNamara Road east of Highway 59. An open structure where other feed commodities are stored, located nearby, was undamaged.

The loss of hundreds of tons of quality feed is devastating, and will be hard to replace, according to the owners, who declined to give their names. They said they were able save the bulk of the silage pile and thanked neighbors who sprang into action to save dozens of bales of hay in two separate piles around the feed area.

The owners speculate that the fire may have started from sparks given off from feed grinding equipment and estimate the loss at about $250,000.

The fire started around 4 p.m. Wednesday, said Battalion Chief Jeremy Rahn, who confirmed that there was mechanical equipment working in the area when the fire started.

He also stated that because firefighters were able to keep the heat from the fire low, it allowed neighboring dairymen and farmers to use their equipment to save about 200 tons of the 1,000-ton pile of alfalfa that caught fire.

The fire spread to a 2,000-ton pile of silage, but firefighters saved about 1,800 tons of that, Rahn said.

Four fire engines, two water tenders and 15 firefighters responded to the blaze, officials said. A Pacific Gas and Electric crew also turned off the electricity in power lines that run above the scene of the fire as a safety precaution.

While firefighters have left the site, Rahn said the department will continue to monitor the fire until it burns out. A water truck from the dairy was standing by.

Rahn encourages landowners to have a defensible space, and to use any brush-clearing equipment before 10 a.m.

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 8:39 PM with the headline "Hay fire burns in unincorporated Merced County."