Fire strikes Winfield Township farm
WINFIELD TWP — Firefighters were called to a farm on a hilltop down a one-lane gravel lane Saturday, Nov. 2, for what was initially reported as a barn fire.
Dispatchers at 4:10 p.m. reported burning bales of hay and farm equipment on Peters Lane, off Leasureville Road, and later returned to the airwaves to report a working fire at a barn.
Randy Reamer, rescue captain at Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, said he is a neighbor of the farm and could see the fire from his home across the large field.
It turned out that eight large round bales of hay and a U-Haul trailer used by the farmer for storage, plus old farm equipment and a few tires along a tree line, were burning.
Reamer said the farmer had burned garbage a few days before, and said he had checked the area earlier on Saturday, which seemed fine.
He said the fire must have smoldered, then spread when the wind picked up Saturday.
An old car, old push mowers, a seemingly unused hay baler and the U-Haul trailer were destroyed in the blaze, which Reamer estimated charred an area of 1,000 feet by 45 feet.
No buildings were nearby. Reamer said no one was injured.
He said the biggest challenge faced by firefighters was extinguishing the large bales of hay that were ablaze.
“A neighbor with a tractor moved them into the open so we could tear them apart and soak them with water,” Reamer said.
He said there was little chance of the fire reigniting because the hay bales had been thoroughly soaked.
Reamer estimated that the fire caused about $3,000 in damages.
In addition to Buffalo Township, Herman, Saxonburg, and South Buffalo volunteer fire departments responded to the farm. Saxonburg Ambulance also responded, and set up an area where firefighters could sit down and rest or get a Gatorade for hydration.
Crews had cleared the scene by 6:10 p.m.
