Firefighters tackle stubborn hay-bale fire on McCluskey Drive

Firefighters spent the late afternoon on Friday battling a stubborn hay-bale fire on McCluskey Drive.

Capt. Shane Zimmer of the Oliver Paipoonge Fire and Emergency Services, said the homeowner left his residence earlier in the day and returned to find the hay on fire.

“A couple of the barns were starting to catch. Of course they called 9-11 and by the time we got here we extinguished the small fires in the barns,” Zimmer said.

“Now we’re trying to concentrate on putting out the hay fire, which as you can see is kind of an ongoing effort.”

Firefighters employed a front-end lifter to move hay that wasn’t on fire out of the danger zone, while pouring a steady stream of water on the charred and still smoldering pile, blanketing the surrounding fields in thick white smoke.

Zimmer said the cause is unknown.

“We have no idea,” he said.

“(The homeowner) went away and everything was fine and he got home and it was on fire.”

Zimmer estimated they got the call around 2 p.m.

No one was hurt in the fire.