Powell Butte hay fire destroys barn, two tractors

It was a long Saturday evening and night for Crook County firefighters who battled a stubborn fire in Powell Butte that burned a hay barn, two tractors and 1,300 tons of hay, officials said Sunday.

Crook County Fire and Rescue was dispatched around 4:30 p.m. Saturday to a report of a hay barn on fire off Cornett Loop, said Fire Chief Matt Smith. However, they arrived to find the hay piles on fire, with structures and farm equipment directly threatened, he said.

Two structural engines, three wildland engines, two water tenders and a medic unit responded, totaling 18 firefighters, Smith said.

The fire’s specific cause was under investigation, but Smith said late Saturday night it “does not appear to be suspicious.”

Smith said Sunday afternoon crews were “just finishing up” their work, but that an engine crew and the farm owners continued to monitor the blaze.

“We will be back and forth to the scene, checking on it,” Smith said. “It will continue to smoke and burn for a few days.”

“It’s hard to break it down safely,” Smith said. “We’ve got a D-8 Cat out there to break the pile down when it’s safe to do so. But the more water you pour on it, the more it’ll smolder, so we’re just allowing it to burn in a safe manner.”

No injuries were reported, and no other structures were threatened, the fire chief said.