Hay fire in Texas County

With dry conditions in the area, rain is always a blessing and we will take whatever moisture comes. But with the rain sometimes thunderstorms and clouds come to lightning on the ground.

Last night around 7 p.m., Guymon Firefighters responded to 911 calls of a reported hay bale fire west of the Guymon Airport at Mile 29. “Firefighters quickly arrived to find a large pile of hay bales completely engulfed by fire,” Guymon Fire said. Chief Grant Wadley. Light to moderate rain was falling at the time, while ground-level lightning was present. More than 200 bales, stacked three high, weighing an estimated 200 tons, were lost in the fire. The westerly wind carried heavy clouds of smoke over the airport and spread into Guymon over the next few hours. The fire brigade quickly brought the fire under control and the spread was limited to only the bales. At no time were nearby homes, buildings or any part of Guymon threatened by fire. The remaining burning bales were allowed to burn all night.

Two witnesses nearby saw lightning actually strike the bales and immediately called 911.