Local farmer has two combine fires in the span of a week
RANDOLPH — Rural fire departments responded to combine fires for the same local farmer in the span of a week.
Wausa Fire responded to a combine fire one mile north of town at about 9:45 p.m. Friday night.
“The grain was on fire and it was smoldering. Luckily we caught it in time,” said Brian Wakeley, Wausa’s fire chief.
The cause of the fire is unknown and 15 firefighters were on the scene for about an hour, he said.
The combine owned by Dewey Gubbels of Randolph was still operable after the fire.
That wasn’t the case in a fire just five days earlier for the Randolph farmer, though.
The Randolph Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department responded to a bean field north of the Randolph Catholic cemetery Oct. 4 at 11:35 p.m. and spent more than two hours putting out flames on Gubbels’ fully engulfed combine.
The combine had been sitting for a while as they finished up around 8 p.m. that day, he said. The cause of that fire is believed to be an electrical wiring issue, said Jim Scott, Randolph’s Fire Chief.
Fire did not spread to the field as it had already been combined down to stubble. Some Randolph residents reported hearing two loud booms which were the back two tires blowing, Scott said.
About 15 volunteer firefighters responded to the call and no injuries were reported.
“I really appreciate all the volunteers that showed up and took care of things fast and got it handled,” Gubbels said.
While some fires are unpreventable, Scott shared some tips from AgFax Media to help minimize losses this harvest season:
- Keep hot combines parked away from buildings.
- Prioritize regular equipment maintenance including to the electrical system.
- Remove accumulated dried plant material from equipment.
- Wait for the engine to cool before refueling.
- Consider using a ground chain to prevent static electricity.
- Keep fire extinguishers handy.
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