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Avoid A Fire And Check Your Haystacks

Haystacks catching fire through spontaneous combustion have been reported in several areas around Victoria recently.

By Department of Primary Industries - 15th December 2006 - Back to News

This is never a good thing in any year, but with the current dry conditions it is even more devastating when the cost of hay is high in tandem with the possible loss of equipment, general lack of available fodder and water, and stretched CFA crews fighting fires elsewhere.

The increased incidence of stack fires this year is similar to that experienced in the 2002/03 drought. In these extremely dry conditions, hay that has been baled at seemingly "safe" moisture levels for each bale type has still resulted in several stacks igniting.

Outlined below is an explanation of what happens plus some key signs to look for:

Why are bale heating and stack fires more common this year?

Scientists believe that pasture and cereal crops experiencing severe drought conditions contain higher than "normal" levels of sugar in their cells.

When these particular plants are baled the higher sugar levels lead to higher than normal plant respiration and microbial activity, generating higher than normal heat levels.

Another cause has been the difficulty in curing canola crops with reasonably thick and "wet" stems and cereals with "sappy" nodes.

Hence, the increase in fires could be attributed to urgent fodder demands and the rush to get it into bales before proper curing.

There are also the usual suspects such as improper moist levels before baling with the respective baler type, too much dew at baling, and sparks from machinery, etc.

What has been the range of moisture levels in hays this year?

Table 1 shows the moisture levels of canola, cereal and pasture hays for this season to end November.

As can be seen by the very high moisture contents at the higher end of the range for each species, some "hays" should have been ensiled and are way too wet to be baled as hay, even if a hay preservative had been used.

Table 1. Moisture contents (%) of canola, cereal and pasture hays*

*Feedtest 1 October to end November 2006

What are the signs of heating?

Regularly check your stack for signs of heating and very regularly if the stack temperature continues to rise.

Signs of heating are moisture condensation on the roof, visible vapour or smoke, mould growth, acrid fumes, strong musty smell and hot, humid air at the top of the stack.

How can you determine the stack temperature?

Monitor the stack temperature regularly from when heating is first noticed. Do this by using a crowbar inserted as deep as possible into the centre of the stack. Leave it there for about two hours before removing it and feeling it by hand to give you a rough guide of the internal stack temperatures.

The temperature is up to about 50°C if you can hold the bar without discomfort. It is up to 60°C if the bar can be held for a short time only and up to 70°C if the bar can be touched only briefly. If you can't hold the bar, temperature is above 70°C and fire is a real possibility. Treat the stack with caution and call the fire brigade!

What can be done if hay heats to danger levels?

If a stack starts to get ‘dangerously hot" pull it apart as quickly as possible.

If possible, avoid walking on top of the stack because the extremely high temperatures may have lead to charring in the centre of the stack. You won't be aware of how hot the centre is and your extra weight on top of the stack might be enough to cause the top of the stack, and you, to collapse into the dangerously hot centre.

If you must walk on the top, place a ladder or long wide plank to walk on, and ALWAYS have a second person positioned away from the stack to hang onto a lifeline tied around your waist.

Most shed fires tend to start from the outer sections of a stack at lower temperatures where oxygen is more available compared to the centre where temperatures can becone extremely high before igniting. For this reason be aware that as the bales are pulled out (especially in a tightly built stack) oxygen will now be able to get to the extremely hot centre of a stack and explode into flame – similar to throwing petrol on a simmering fire!

Have the local fire brigade on hand, or at least a fire cart and definitely other people for safety purposes.

Warning!

If there is the slightest risk of a fire starting due to wet hay, NEVER keep machinery in the hayshed and do not allow children to play in or near heating stacks!

For more haystack information, please contact Frank Mickan at DPI Ellinbank on 5624 2222.

For drought information, phone DPI on 136 186 or visit www.dpi.vic.gov.au/drought.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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