Large hay fire burning in Weber

PLAIN CITY — A massive hay fire at one of northern Utah's largest dairy farms was expected to burn for a couple of days as fire crews stood watch.

No injuries were reported in the large fire at Gibson's Green Acres, 429 S. 5000 West, which started about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Several hundred tons of hay, or an area of hay about 400 feet long by 100 feet wide and 15 feet high, caught fire, said Weber Fire District Capt. Casey Naes. The first arriving crews were able to pull some of the hay off, but the majority of hay and the wood structure it was under were considered total losses.

"We were able to get about 30 bales ... but the fire just took over," said co-owner Ron Gibson, who lives just a few hundred yards from the dairy. "It was so fast. I've never seen anything like it."

With early damage estimates at nearly $500,000, the fire hit hard for everyone at the farm, Gibson said.

"It's been a long day, not gonna lie," he said. "It's been a hard day, but we've done harder. We'll survive."

Naes said large hay fires are typically difficult to fight because they can start in the middle and work their way out.

"Access to the fire is a big deal," he said.

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Contributing: Aaron Falk

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com