Hot hay in a barn causes concern

On May 13, at 3:20 PM, Station 4-9 was dispatched to the 100 block of Hershey Church Road in Salisbury Township for a Public Service Call. Deputy 4-9 (Beyer) was on the scene at a farm in which the farmer had hot hay in his farm and was concerned about it and the possibility of a fire, and Deputy Beyer requested the response of Station 4-9 to assist.\
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The problem is that when hay is cut in the field, it is cut and let to lay in the field to dry before it is baled and put in the hay barn. Sometimes the hay is not totally dried when it is baled and stored, and the moisture that is left in the hay causes a chemical reaction, much like what happens in a pile of compost. The warm damp hay causes bacteria to grow, and when the bacteria decomposes the hay, it causes heat, and eventually the hay, if left unchecked, may very possibly burst into flames, causing a barn fire.\
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The Salisbury Township Fire Company owns a hay thermometer, which is a long probe that is pushed into the bales of hay and gives a digital readout of the temperature. The temperatures given today were too high, and the hay had to be removed. Some of the hay was so hot, it could not be removed with out the use of gloves. The farmer brought wagons in, and firemen and neighbors alike loaded the wagons full of the hay, so it could be moved outside to finish drying and cool down; that way, if the hay was to combust it would be outside and cause no harm to the structure. A hoseline off of Engine 4-9-1 was charged with water, and taken into the barn as a precaution, just in case a pocket of fire was found in the pile as it was being removed.\
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After the hot hay was removed and the remaining hay in the barn was determined to be safe, Station 4-9 units were cleared of the scene at 4:38 PM.\