Combine blaze sparks 80-acre field fire

PLEASANT PLAIN ? Fall harvesting gathered more than corn for combine driver Don Peck Tuesday. The Brighton Fire Department responded about 1:30 p.m. when the combine caught fire and spread flames to the field.

No one was hurt in the afternoon blaze that covered an estimated 80 acres near 136th Street and Redwood Avenue, a little more than 10 miles north of Fairfield on Pleasant Plain Road.

?The field was already in flames when we arrived,? said Brighton Fire Captain Jamie Collier. ?But he?d already harvested the corn, so it was stubble that burned. No buildings were threatened. The fire did get close to a neighboring cornfield that was still standing, but it wasn?t damaged. I would guess the combine might be beyond repair.?

Nearby communities? fire departments ? Fairfield, Lockridge and Richland responded with mutual aid.

?That?s normal procedure,? said Collier. ?We support one another with mutual aid. With volunteer fire departments not all members can respond during the day.?

Collier said Brighton has 23 volunteers on its roster; among the four departments responding Tuesday, he estimated 15-20 personnel showed up at the field fire.

?We hit the combine first,? said Collier. ?We put that out. Fairfield and Lockridge have grass rigs, and they used those to surround the perimeter and knock it down.?

While Brighton brought tanker trucks to the fire, the grass rigs are smaller, more nimble tankers with portable equipment.

?We can?t drive our big trucks into the fields so easily,? said Collier. ?The grass rigs are about the size of pickup trucks and can go places we can?t.?

Firefighters remained on the scene until 4:45 p.m.