A fire which has been burning for more than 48 hours, and is likely to continue in the short term, has destroyed 1200 hay bales after they spontaneously combusted on a farm at Pleasant Hills, near Henty.
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The oaten hay bales at the Grandview property caught alight on Saturday morning and quickly took hold as the Rural Fire Service arrived on the scene.
“We couldn’t salvage any of the bales as the fire was too intense and dangerous for crews,” said RFS Riverina Zone Operational Officer Bradley Stewart.
“We brought in an excavator truck and created a three-hectare fire break around the hay bales to minimise the chance of ember attack on surrounding land.
“It’s devastating for the farmers. The bales were worth around $100,000, plus the sheds were destroyed.”