They had to take every bale out of the storage to stop fires
from breaking out whenever the damp hay was exposed to oxygen.
The farm is at 3741 Dominion Springs Rd., near Kinburn
Side Road and Highway 417 which is about midway between Ottawa and Arnprior.
Fire chief Adrian Dearman said while the cause of the
fire is officially not yet determined, he thinks it was spontaneous combustion.
During the rainy summer, many farmers across Ontario
put away very wet hay, said Dan Carlow, a manager in the environmental
management branch at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
That wetness speeds along fermentation with the bale,
a process that causes a buildup of heat and gas that leads to a chemical
reaction and, if unchecked, fire.
Carlow advises farmers to check stored hay; it should
be kept below 20 to 25 per cent moisture.
He said all hay needs to be checked for runaway rising
temperatures.
"At 55 C and below, you're probably OK, but above
55 you need to be diligent, hunker down and keep an eye on it," said
Carlow.
