Bales of Hay Caught Fire Behind Palmer Feed

Five large, rolled bales of hay stored behind Palmer Feed, 1318 North Chabourne Street, were ablaze. The 911 call was answered at 11:40 p.m. Wednesday evening. When the San Angelo Fire Department arrived, flames were rising high above the popular feed store's back lot. Firefighters had to rip each bale apart to make sure the fire was extinguished.

Ladder 1, Engines 3 and 6, and Rescue 1 responded and applied their quick-reaction fire suppression tactics to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, or worse, a fuel tank just next to the fire.

Closed was 13th Street for safety and to give the firefighters unrestricted access to the fire. After the flames where knocked down and the bales broken apart, foam was applied to prevent a relapse of the fire.

The fire was mostly extinguished at approximately 12:15 a.m. Thursday morning.

The SAFD Battalion Chief Rick Long said that a fuel tank was beyond the fence where the five bales were resting against. There were also approximately 150 old and dry wooden pallets nearby. The firefighters' approach was to intervene between the fire, and the tank and pallets. Even as the bales were ablaze, firefighters were trying to roll them away from the tank and pallets.

Water cannot completely penetrate rolled bales of hay, so the firefighters had to break them apart.

After the bales were broken apart, Engine 3 was called in with a special "Class A Foam System" to get better penetration of the hay with fire suppressant. "It does penetrate," Long said.

The cause is under investigation, which will continue in the daylight.

Here is the interview with Chief Rick Long about the fire: