FIRE authorities are urging farmers to ramp up their haystack maintenance for the remainder of the season after a surge in blazes.
The CFA has responded to more than 50 blazes since November, including a “fire storm” that destroyed about 600 hay bales in Kerang.
Most were reported in the Wimmera and Loddon Mallee, with 29 in the north west region and 12 in the west.
Farmers are being urged to monitor the moisture and temperature of their hay more regularly, to store in separate stacks and in sheds away from farming equipment and structures.
CFA District 17 Commander Lindsay Barry said spontaneous combustion is the leading cause of haystack fires in Victoria, and just one damp bale is enough to ignite a whole stack.
“We are currently in the storage phase of hay season, and there are some contributing factors that lead to ignition,” Mr Barry said.
“Unfortunately, at the beginning of the season, some bales weren’t produced to industry standard, and were stored away with too much moisture.
“Green or damp hay is susceptible to overheating, so those two in combination will make a fire.”
Mr Barry said due to the significant rain during summer, haystacks that were neither placed inside a shed nor covered with a tarp have been exposed.
Three years ago farms received more than 100mm of rain in one storm, and a series of haystack fires ensued.
“For farmers who own hay, or who manage haystacks, we need them to be more vigilant and ensure they’re doing regular temperature checks,” he said.
“If they are warm, put measures in place to break down and separate the stacks and use machinery to put in strategic breaks if you can.”
