Take action to avoid hay fires

According to the Department of Agriculture and Food, the risk of hay fires has been elevated this season by the dry spring conditions and baling weedy pasture and failed grain crops that take longer to dry than normal pasture hay.

Senior development officer John Lucey said excess moisture in fodder could set off a chain of chemical reactions that ignite bales, so it was important to make sure hay was dried appropriately when stored.

“It’s best to stack bales at 16-18 per cent moisture for small bales and 14-16pc moisture for large bales,” Mr Lucey said. “Also, always allow for good airflow to dissipate heat.”

Combustion risk is usually highest between two to seven weeks after storage.

Warning signs include bales that are hot to touch, steam rising from the stack, often seen as condensation on the roof, and a musty odour.

Mr Lucey said once a stack was known to be heating it must be monitored regularly.

“This can be done by pushing a crow bar well into the stack and leaving it for about two hours,” he said.

“If the bar can be handled without discomfort the stack needs to be monitored daily. If it can only be held for a short time monitor it twice a day. If the bar can only be touched briefly the stack needs monitoring every two hours. If it’s too hot to handle call the fire brigade immediately as stack is above 70 degrees centigrade and there is immediate potential for a fire.”

Farmers have also been advised avoid walking on top of at-risk stacks as they could collapse from less dense charred bales in the centre.

“A sudden inrush of air could also result in a fire,” Mr Lucey said.

“Likewise be careful when pulling a stack apart and always have fire equipment on hand.

“It would also be practical to store machinery and other assets well away from hay sheds and to maintain good firebreaks around haystacks and sheds.”

For more information about minimising the risk of haystack fires visit the department’s Dealing with the Dry Season website at www.agric.wa.gov.au