Dora farm loses 150 round bales in Sept. 12 barn fire

Hay and fire are a bad combination at any time, but this year's hay shortage and sky-high prices make the 150 round bales that burned Sept. 12 at Bob and Brenda Newton's Dora-area property a little harder to lose than might have been the case in a good-hay year. 

According to the Ozark County Sheriff's Department, Brenda Newton called in the fire at  8:25 p.m. last Wednesday, reporting that a hay barn was on fire on Daisy Lane off County Road 177 from CC Highway west. Dora VFD was called to respond, with Tecumseh VFD responding in mutual aid. 

Dora VFD fire chief Monte Shipley told the Times that the owners indicated they had pulled a lawn mower into the hay barn after mowing the grass that day, and they believed the mower backfired, causing the fire, which quickly spread. The Newtons were able to safely move several pieces of large machinery, including a tractor, baler and mowers, out of the shed part of the barn before it became too involved, Shipley said. 

When firefighters arrived on scene, the barn was fully engulfed. The hay bales, which are "nearly impossible" to extinguish, according to Shipley, were pulled from the rear of the barn to the pasture behind the barn and soaked with water. However, the fire quickly became too hot and there was too much smoke to continue the efforts to remove and extinguish the bales; so the firefighters and the Newtons were forced to stop removing the bales from the burning barn. They continued to soak the remaining bales and let them smolder. 

Shipley said the bales were still smoldering and the barn was significantly damaged when firefighters left the scene. 

Ozark County Times

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