Every fire hall in the Township was called out to help extinguish a 15-acre hay field that went up in flames in Fort Langley on Saturday.
A farmer on his Rawlison Crescent/Hudson Bay Street farm was baling hay on his field when it’s believed his baler malfunctioned and became overheated, catching the dry grass on fire around 11:30 a.m.
Because of the dry conditions, the fire quickly spread, with white smoke filling the air around Fort Langley.
“There is about 20 acres there and three-quarters burned,” said Bruce Ferguson, assistant fire chief.
He didn’t know the value of the hay. Fire crews were able to get a handle of the fire pretty quickly. No one was injured, including the farmer who got out OK.
But Ferguson said lookie-loos who decided to drive up onto the fields to get a closer look put themselves in danger.
“They could have easily been caught up in it or their vehicles’ own catalytic converters could have set more hay on fire,” said Ferguson.
This dry weather is a good reminder to all Langley residents to be cautious.
“Be cognizant of where you put your cigarette butts,” he said.
Bark mulch and long grass fires are the fire department’s enemy this time of year.