Area departments battle two combine fires Tuesday
Trending
Firefighters in the western half of Marshall County stayed busy on Tuesday afternoon as there were two combine fires in the area, including one that resulted in a total loss.
State Center Fire and EMS Chief Brad Pfantz said that while the first fire was relatively minor, resulting in some damage to the combine and burning five to 10 acres of corn, the second, which was west of Albion, ended in a total loss to the combine and soybean head.
"Very windy and dry conditions most definitely did not help," Pfantz said.
Thankfully, no personal injuries were reported. Marshall County Chief Deputy Ben Veren responded to the second fire, which was actually located near his childhood home on property his father owns, and said it served as a good reminder for those who might be tempted to stop along the side of the road and spectate while emergency responders are attempting to run water and vehicles to a site.
"Our concern is to make sure that motorists are safe in those smoky conditions as well as keeping bystanders from being in the way of the fire trucks," Veren said. "Oftentimes, with the combine fires, especially these newer combines, they carry hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel, oil and fluids and things like that. So it does create a lot of smoke, and it does take a lot of water to fight those fires."