(Le Mars) — Le Mars firefighters responded to a round baler that had caught on fire. The alarm was heard at about 5:20 p.m. Thursday afternoon at 34596 220th Street, about three miles south of Le Mars. Smoke from the fire could be seen for a couple of miles and when fire officials arrived on the scene, the Vermeer round baler was fully engulfed. The farmer was baling harvested corn stalks into round bales. Fortunately, the fire started while the tractor and baler were at the end of the field, with the southeast winds pushing the blaze away from the open field. An area approximately the size of half a football field had burnt. Speculation is the baler perhaps had a worn bearing that created friction and started the fire, and then igniting the baler. The baler and one round bale of cornstalks were lost in the fire. The Vermeer baler was a total loss. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to a nearby brush pile, and away from buildings. Firefighters were on the scene for slightly more than an hour. One firefighter appeared to have had suffered from heat exhaustion and was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare for further observation. Firefighters throughout northwest Iowa were again busy with fighting field fires. There were several reports of field fires on Thursday, in Plymouth County, and in both Sioux and Lyon Counties.
