JAMESTOWN, N.D.
Four combine fires were reported in a 12-hour period on from Monday night to Tuesday afternoon, according to the Jamestown Rural Fire Department.
"When you have four combine fires in a period of less than 12 hours of time, that's a little crazy," said Rick Woehl, assistant fire chief.
The first fire was reported at 10 p.m. Monday 10 miles south of the Spiritwood exit on Highway 62. The same combine started on fire again after being put out and that call came in at 2 a.m. Tuesday, he said.
The fire was in the straw launcher and it is unknown whether the unit was a total loss, Woehl said.
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Two trucks and four firefighters were dispatched to each fire.
The third fire came call came in at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the same area. During that call, another combine fire was reported seven miles north of Windsor also was reported.
"At one point this afternoon we have seven units total with 16 guys out," Woehl said Tuesday night.
Three trucks and six firefighters were dispatched to the south and three trucks with seven firefighters were dispatched north, he said. A fourth unit was called out to the Windsor area after the fire spread to an unharvested bean field.
Both combines reported on fire Tuesday afternoon were a total loss, Woehl said.
He declined to estimate the cost of the combines because he said they varied in cost between $25,000 and $250,000. No injuries were reported.
He had no ideas on the cause of the fires but did Woehl said dust can creep into all parts of the machinery and proper maintenance and cleaning of the combines everyday can reduce the chance of fires.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday A combine fire near Medina was reported.
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The Jamestown Sun and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
