Hay Fire Burns for Days on Southern California Dairy Farm

A large hay barn fire in Southern California, just 35 miles east of Los Angeles, burning for more than three days at a dairy farm after sparking on May 7.

The Chino Valley Fire District responded to the two-alarm fire at 8:04 pm at a dairy in Chino, a suburb east of Los Angeles that has several dairy farms interspersed throughout the community. The fire was isolated to a shed that was storing large square bales of hay that was in close proximity to cattle housed in open lots and nearby residential structures.

At its peak the fire had flames that were three stories in height. Because of the tight arrangement and compact nature of the bales firefighters were not able to fully extinguish the fire. Instead the firefighters opted to contain the fire that needed to be put out and let the remaining bales burn until the hay could be safely spread out to extinguish.

Chino Valley Fire District has been calling the fire the Pine Incident because it was located at the on the 8300 block of Pine Avenue. The fire was expected to burn for three to five days.

The fire also forced the Chino Valley Fire District to issue smoke warnings for the area and the people who were sensitive to smoke were asked to stay inside while closing windows and doors.

Television news crews from Los Angeles even covered the fire interviewing Chief David Williams, from the Chino Valley Fire Department, and other onlookers.

According to Williams the cause of the fire was unknown and the size of the hay pile was roughly the size of a football field wide in both directions (53 1/3 yards squared or 160 feet squared) and three stories high. There were reportedly no injuries to any people or cattle due to the fire.

Below are some social media posts from the Chino Valley Fire District and journalist who were covering the Pine Incident:

Chino Hay fire https://t.co/hGN4tIL70j
— FirePhotoGirl (@FirePhotoGirl) May 8, 2019

Hay #fire continues to burn in #Chino . @cvifd is continuing to put water on the flames. Poor air quality throughout the IE. #NBCLA pic.twitter.com/ccaxfjassZ
— Alexvnews (@alexvnews) May 9, 2019

Here is a Google Map showing the approximate location of the fire:

For more on how to prevent barn or hay fires read the following stories:

Prevent and Prepare For Barn Fires
Hay and Straw Barn Fires a Real Danger
Preventing Hay Fires with a Thermometer
Avoid Barn Fires, Let Hay Dry All The Way
Prevent Barn Fires
Preventing an Unwanted Baler Fire

Wyatt Bechtel
Fri, 05/10/2019 – 10:49

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Hay Fire Burns for Days on Southern California Dairy Farm

JOB TITLE: PRE-SELL DAIRY HYGIENE SUPPLIES SALES SPECIALIST