Hay bales on a truck reported on fire in Bethany

Bales of hay on a truck are reportedly on fair in Bethany at 6025 East Bethany Le Roy Road. Crews are responding. A second alarm has been responded.

UPDATE 4:21 p.m.: I'm on scene on Hawks Road, where the truck with burning hay was moved to after firefighters determined the only way to extinguish the fire was to dump the load in an open field. The load has been dumped and crews are now poring water and bulldozing dirt onto the burning fire. The flames are few but the smoke is profuse.  I should have some video edited and uploaded in an hour or two.

UPDATE 5:15 p.m.: The fire is reportedly contained and crews are returning to quarters; however, the fire is expected to burn for a couple of more days until it burns itself out, generating much smoke at times.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: At the scene today I met Scott M. Kibler, 4th assistant chief for the Stafford Fire Department, and it turns out he's a regular reader of The Batavian. He sends along the following report and pictures from the fire.

At 3:10 PM the Stafford Fire Dept was called out to assist the Bethany Fire Dept. at 6025 E.Bethany-Leroy Rd. for a tractor trailer loaded with hay that was on fire. First ariving trucks on scene deployed hand lines and attempted to put out the fire with little success. It was determined that the load needed to be dumped in order to get at the fire and put it out. A suitable dump site was located about a mile away on Hawks Rd. in a empty field. Pavilion Fire Dept. set up a draft site on Fox Place in the town of Stafford and tankers were filled from there. A front end Loader was brought in by A.D. Call & sons and when the load was dumped it was pushed around and spread out so it could be watered down. I have not heard how the fire started yet but my guess would be from the exhaust stack on the truck. Trucks from Stafford, Bethany and Pavilion Responded to this incident.