The Groveton Volunteer Fire Department worked Friday and again on Saturday to extinguish a hay fire.
Also on location for mutual aid were the Weldon, Lovelady, Pennington and Trinity fire departments.
Fire department personnel say that hay fires can be some of the most challenging fires for firefighters to extinguish. Even after the visible flames are knocked down, a hay bale can continue burning deep inside. Once the water on the outer layer dries, the hidden heat can cause the fire to reignite, which is why hay fires often require multiple trips back to the scene.
When possible, firefighters will use a tractor to pull the bales apart and spread them out so water can reach the burning material inside. In this case, the fire involved a large amount of hay stored inside a barn, making it especially difficult to access and extinguish.
•Trinity Volunteer Fire Dept responded to a reported structure fire in Westwood Shores early Wednesday morning.
The first unit on scene reported smoke and fire in a wall behind an outdoor gas grill that had extended into a room at the rear of the house. The homeowner was able to get a water hose on the fire to keep it from extending into the attic. Firefighters pulled the grill and sheet rock wall to extinguish the fire.
Then on Sunday afternoon, Trinity firefighters responded to a boat rescue on White Rock Creek across from Westwood Shores. Two elderly men in a small john boat was swamped by waves from a strong south wind and was sunk on a sandbar.
The men were transported to the Highway 94 boat ramp.
