Fire destroys hay and machinery at Elmore

Ten firefighting appliances from local CFA brigades and as far away as Bendigo attended.

The cause was believed to be either accidental or the result of spontaneous combustion.

Following the incident, CFA District 2 commander Chris Jacobsen said after hours of hard work to control the fire it would still take days to burn down and waiting was the best option to save manpower and water.

“From a firefighter's perspective, while the sheds are buckled, pouring water on it would prolong how long it takes to burn out,” he said.

“Water is already a scarce resource and this leaves resources for other incidents.”

The fire may have caused close to $2 million damage.

The hay, about 3000 bales, was worth more than $500 000 and the damage bill to machinery added a further $1.2 million in losses.

It was the latest and most expensive in a series of hay fires around the region over the past two weeks.