Fire Burns 800 Tons of Hay on Merced County Dairy Farm

No one has been injured, and no structures have been damaged. 

It started after 4 p.m. on a dairy farm near Hwy 59 and McNamara Road. 

Smoke filled the sky for hours, visible from the 99, as 800 tons of alfalfa hay and 200 tons of silage were on fire. 

"At this time, it’s due to the mechanical equipment that started the fire," said Jeremy Rahn, battalion chief with Merced County Fire and Cal Fire. 

Firefighters are letting the blaze burn for several reasons: to minimize the risk to firefighters, to be more efficient, and to conserve water. 

In the fourth dry year, the drought is also creating challenges to firefighters. 

"There’s no canals that are accessible or filled in the area so we’re having to drive into the city to get water," Rahn said. 

Other dairy farmers and people living  in the area helped salvage 200 tons of hay by bringing their equipment and moving the unburned hay away from danger. 

PG&E crews also helped minimize the risk to firefighters. 

"There were some electrical lines directly above the material that was burning, and they (PG&E crews) were able to secure the electricity to those lines to make it safe for firefighters to engage in firefighting activities," Rahn said. 

Because of the type of material burning, firefighters expect this fire to burn throughout the night and potentially for the next couple of days.