Round Bale Fires

[ultrarunner]

Off topic but a tree company came in up the street cutting and chipping leaving a large pile of chips... for weeks I saw steam rising every time I drove by...

 

[jaxs]

The short answer to your original question Eddie is there is no short answer.

I've heard about square bales spontaneously combusting if they are stored too soon after baling. Does this happen with round bales too?

The long answer is neither sq nor round bales spontaneously combust providing hay is properly cured before baling. Roof leaks spoil hay but don't cause fires. Millions of square bales of cured hay has been picked up behind balers and barn stored without incidence of fire. Interior temperature of an enclosed barn will rise dramatically during first 48 hours of storing perfectly cured hay then steadily drop for several days. That initial spike causes unrest for some people but those with experience might at most have ridge vents and leave doors open a few days to negate possibility of slightly diminishing quality but are not concerned about fire.
As to how much outdoor storage effects hay,the MOST important fact is being overlooked. WHAT one means by hay is key to the discussion of outdoor storage. When people in East Texas say grazing or hay,90% of times they are talking about Bermuda which stores very well outdoors. Sorghum doesn't fair well outdoors and the minor players fall somewhere between those two.

 

[Hay Dude]

Thats the sweat bales go through

 

[mo1]

I've heard about square bales spontaneously combusting if they are stored too soon after baling. Does this happen with round bales too?

Yep, a guy around here had just under 200 round bales stacked very tightly outside last year after haying. One of them started on fire, setting the rest of them as well as multiple buildings and equipment on fire.

 

[Locoweed]

Just happened here this week.

 

[EddieWalker]

That's really scary. Especially when I'm paying $85 a bale!!!

 

[oosik]

Around here the most common hay storage - pole barn with roof only. A WHOLE lot of round bales are racked up and stored out in the field.

 

[Tx Jim]

I feel sorry for man spraying burning bales. Burning rd bales are almost impossible to extinguish the fire once started I wonder if bales were made at too high moisture %. I see no good reason for high moisture rd bales being accidently baled during a drought.

Many yrs ago I accidently lost 50 rd bales that started burning from escaped flames from a distant trash fire.

 

[jaxs]

There was once a rash of hay bale fires in N. Texas that had people confused about the cause until a man was caught red handed setting some on fire. The arsonist and his father were custom balers that were often paid with a share of hay which they in turn sold. There was a local shortage which caused price increase. The arsonist's motivation was to cause further shortage with subsequent increase in price he and his dad could capitalize on. The pair shut down and disappeared which might have saved their lives or at minimum being beaten within an inch of death.