A stack of hay bales south of Steinbach may be smoldering for a couple of days, following a fire in the area.
Paul Wiebe, chief of the Hanover Fire Department says crews were called about two miles south of Steinbach at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday for a silage harvester fire.
"By the time our crews arrived, the fire had spread to some nearby bales," he says. "We had some equipment to pull the bale pile apart and distribute it, and let it burn down."
Crews cleared the scene around 3 p.m., Wiebe says, with the pile still smoldering.
The fire chief assures the bales are in a safe location, and shouldn't spread flames.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the fire, he says, though the damage is likely significant with dozens of bales caught in the blaze—not to mention the machinery.
Otherwise, no structures were close to catching flame, Wiebe says.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
"At this point, we won't be investigating it further, and will let insurance companies deal with (it)," the fire chief says.
Original article (posted at 2:30 p.m.):
The Hanover Fire Department is working on a blaze two miles south of Steinbach.
Paul Wiebe, chief of the department, says crews were called to the scene of a silage harvester fire on Highway 12 just south of Road 33 North around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
He says the flames spread to a stack of hay bales.
As of 2 p.m., crews were still on the scene, along with other emergency vehicles including an ambulance.