Local fire departments respond to corn bale fire

The Imperial Volunteer Fire Department (IVFD) and the Lamar Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD) responded to a call of corn stalk bales on fire Friday.
The call came in around 2 p.m., when both departments were dispatched to roads 744 and 313, near Mark and Merl Davidson’s property in northwest Chase County.
“We didn’t actually use water that first day,” LVFD Chief Tyler Stanley said.
IVFD Chief Doug Mitchell said there were 200 bales that burned. The bales were owned by Kroskob Brothers.
“We’re not exactly sure how they caught fire whether it was the stacker they were using or the trailer that was sitting there,” Mitchell said.
The corn stalks were in the process of being baled, he said.
“They hadn’t been sitting there a long time,” he said.
The two departments let the bales burn. IVFD officers were out daily to check on them.
“Lamar had some guys watch them overnight,” Mitchell said. “They weren’t actively burning, they were just smoking.”
Mark Davidson came and disked the land around the bales to make sure nothing else caught fire.
Lamar firefighters went back Monday when the front with high winds moved in to fully extinguish the area.
Mitchell praised LVFD for their efforts. “They were a big, big help,” he said