Hay fire breaks out Saturday

A hay fire broke out Saturday morning just off of Brady Avenue and New Mexico Highway 467. The Clovis Fire Department and Ranchvale Volunteer Fire Department spent seven hours extinguishing the flames, said Clovis Fire Battalion Chief Chet Chenault.

Chenault said about 150 hay bales, wood pallets and tires were damaged and burned at the scene. As of Monday morning, the Clovis Fire Department was continuing to monitor the incident as smoke continued to emanate from the scene.

Chenault said there was "nothing definitive" that caused the fire.

"It could've been just spontaneous combustion from the hay bale being a little too wet, which happens pretty often with hay fires. But I can't say for sure that's what happened," Chenault said.

Chenault said spontaneous combustion within hay bales is fairly common in farming areas like Curry County. He said it can occur whenever it rains too much or when hay is baled before it dries out.

Neighbors reported the incident to the local fire departments.

Ryan Fig, the property owner, was out of town at the time of the fire according to officials. Chenault said no one was reported injured, as eight units were called in to handle the situation.

Chenault said hay fires take a long time to fully resolve and the fire department will continue to monitor the scene throughout the week. He said personnel on Monday had already spread out the hay to speed up the extinguishing process and were waiting for the blaze to smoke out.