This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Paragonah • Firefighters from three towns in Iron County responded to a hay bale fire Sunday just west of Paragonah.
Incident commander Jared Burton said 250 bales of hay were destroyed in the fire that threatened to burn another 3,000 bales of hay.
The owner used front-loading tractors to bring the burning bales outside a fenced storage area to firefighters.
Burton estimated the loss at $750.
The fire was reported at 4:25 p.m. by Bill Trimmer, who owned the hay and had raised it for his cattle.
Burton said the hay was harvested dry 10 days ago and that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
He said that hay harvested wet in a humid climate can spontaneously combust, but that it is rare in Utah's dry climate.
He said the spontaneous combustion will be considered in the investigation along with whether there were other controlled burns in the area.
Twenty-two firefighters from Paragonah, Parowan and Brian Head responded to the fire, bringing eight fire engines and an ambulance. There were no injuries.
Mark Havnes