Fire destroys 42 round bales

A fire of undetermined origin destroyed 42 large round bales south of Baldwin in the Town of Eau Galle at the hobby farm of Jeff and Laura Kennett Saturday just before noon.

According to Jeff, the 42 bales of dry hay were stacked and ready to be tarped. He said Laura was out in the yard, but a small fire burning in the grass was first noticed by a neighbor who told his wife to call the fire department and then within a minute the entire pile of hay was in blazes. Kennett said he is sure the fire wasn't caused by fireworks because there were none in the area at the time of the fire.

Kennett said that despite the loss he is thankful that the only other damage was to two tires on a hayrake. He said the wind was favorable to blow the flames away from buildings and with the help of two Sheriff's Deputies and neighbors, all other equipment was taken from harm's way. "It went quick-the hay was dry," he said.

The bales are valued at between $50 and $80 each, Kennett said, so the loss will total between $2,100 and $3,000. He said he has insurance but isn't sure whether it covers the hay.

Kennett has 11 head of beef animals and two horses.

"We're very fortunate all it was was hay," said Kennett. "No buildings were damaged and nobody got hurt."