On Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 6:18 p.m., the Chillicothe Fire Department received a call concerning a baler fire at 6152 Liv 532. The owner, David Morris, feared the fire had spread to the surrounding field.
Engine 3 was dispatched to the scene with two personnel, and Brush 2 followed with one additional firefighter. En route, the team observed a large plume of black smoke in the direction of the call. The fire chief requested a tanker for additional support.
Upon arrival at 6:35 p.m., firefighters discovered that only the baler was ablaze. The chief then canceled the deployment of Brush 2 and the tanker.
The team used 500 gallons of water to douse the flames and began cooling the hydraulic cylinder located on the side of the baler. A small amount of hay on the ground was found smoldering but was quickly extinguished.
Morris stated that he had noticed smoke emanating from a bale earlier but found no apparent issues upon inspection. He resumed baling operations, only to discover flames erupting from the machine during the unloading of the next bale. Morris then moved the machine to the center of the field and detached it from the tractor. An attempt to quell the flames with a water jug proved futile.
Firefighters declared the situation under control at 7:09 p.m. and advised Morris to monitor the area. They assured him that the fire was completely extinguished and instructed him to contact the department if further issues arose.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
