Fire at hay press in Polk County destroys facility, creates smoke cloud
A Tuesday morning fire burned down a hay press and storage facility in Polk County, creating a visible smoke cloud near Perrydale.
According to a press release from the SW Polk Fire District, emergency crews responded to the fire at 11:15 a.m. at Sunrise Trading Inc. on Beck and Van Well roads. No injuries were reported.
Employees were able to pull semi-trailers already partially on fire out of the building, according to the release, allowing fire crews to extinguish the semi-trailers and protect a large diesel tank.
“Our crews and many other agencies worked tirelessly to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby structures and farm fields,” said SW Polk Fire District Chief Fred Hertel. “The actions of the facility's employees in moving the semi-trailers were commendable and undoubtedly helped mitigate some of the damage.”
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
SW Polk Fire was assisted by the Dallas Fire Department, Polk County Fire District No. 1, Amity Fire District, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Fire Department, McMinnville Fire District and Sheridan Fire District.
Emma Logan is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at elogan@salem.gannett.com or on X @emmmalogan
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Fire at hay press in Polk County destroys facility
