Carelessly Tossed Cigarette Blamed For Huge Stone County Hay Bale Fire
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Some 200 round hay bales burn near Blue Eye Image by Southern Stone County Fire Protection District
The smoke could be seen in the daylight from Kimberling City and Branson as over 200 round hay bales burn in a field near Blue Eye.
The Southern Stone County Fire Protection District says the decision has been made just to let the bales burn themselves out.
Fire crews have set up a perimeter around the field near Highways 86 and UU to contain the flames.
Crews were first called to a brush fire and thought they had about 75 round bales to deal with, but once they got in there it was obvious there were more hay bales than first thought.
Fire Chief Gary Gyger warns people to think twice before flicking a smoke out of a passing car during these extremely dry conditions.
He also says farmers may want to cut their own perimeter around hay, and not have too many bales piled together.
Officials say it may take days for the hay bales to burn themselves out.
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