Hay bales, three sheds catch fire

Three hay sheds and an unknown number of hay bales were burned in a fire that started around midnight Friday and continued into early Saturday morning.

Richard Oehl, chief of the North County Fire Department, said about 18 firefighters were on the scene on County Road 513 until about 4 a.m. The sheds, hay and some of the surrounding grass near the road caught fire, he said. The property is owned by Miesner Brothers of Frohna, Mo.

Oehl said no one lives on the property, and a house and barn further up a hill from the road were not damaged. The amount of the damage has not been determined.

The cause of the fire is unknown, Oehl said, but is not considered suspicious. He said he didn't know whether the grass caught fire and ignited the sheds, or vice versa.

"You never know in these dry conditions," he said. "People can't be too careful, it's so dry. People burning trash or debris or flipping out cigarettes -- it does not take long to take off."

The Fruitland Fire Department was called to provide backup, Oehl said, but once on the scene North County firefighters found backup was unnecessary.