After burning for more than 12 hours, fire chief esitmates
$18,000 in damages to structures and hay
Staff Report
Hollister – Hollister firefighters worked throughout the night and early morning hours Thursday to extinguish three tons of smoldering alfalfa that caught fire Wednesday night in front of Rancher’s Feed.
The fire started about midnight in a barn containing about $10,000 worth of alfalfa stored in front of Rancher’s Feed at the corner of Third and San Benito streets, said Hollister Fire Capt. Mark O’Connor. Firefighters fought the blaze into the early morning hours and thought the fire had been extinguished. Although wet, the fire smoldered and eventually rekindled about 8am Thursday, O’Connor said.
The fire badly damaged not only the hay, but also the two metal barn structures in which it was housed. O’Connor estimated the fire caused about $18,000 in damages.
After burning for more than 12 hours, firefighters with help from the city’s public works department used a backhoe to remove the hay from the barn. While the backhoe lifted heaps of hay from the three-ton pile, firefighters trained their hoses on the smoldering mess.
“The only way to put it out once it gets like this is to spread it out and soak it down,” O’Connor said. “This fire could be burning for days, but hopefully we’ll spread it enough that we can get it out today (Thursday).”
The cause of fire could not be determined by press time Thursday. O’Connor said the blaze was still under investigation.
