BETHEL — About 100 round bales of hay ignited Sunday evening, and the fire narrowly missed the East Bethel Grange Hall.
Eva Coolidge of 994 East Bethel Road said she and her family were at a cookout nearby when her son Ryan noticed fire coming from the back of their barn where the hay was stockpiled three bales high.
Coolidge said she and her husband, John, and others, including neighbors, rushed to hook up hoses to try to contain the fire, which threatened the adjacent East Bethel Grange Hall.
Fire Chief Mike Jodrey, who was driving home from a trip out of state Sunday night, said the cause of the fire is unknown but investigators from the a Forest Service official was expected to be at the scene later today.
Coolidge said firefighters from Bethel, Newry and Greenwood responded to the fire at about 6 p.m. Although the hay was a total loss, they were able to keep the flames from igniting the Grange Hall.
“If it hadn’t been for the neighbors, it would have been worse,” she said of the fire.
The bales are worth at least $35 each and were enough to feed her herd of 10 cows for the winter until the May turnout.
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