Dry weather sparks wheat field fires

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for wheat field fires in midwestern Ontario.

On July 23, a combine caught fire in the middle of a wheat field near Bayfield, Ont. setting off a blaze that spread across most of the farmer’s field.

According to Papple Aviation, who took photos as they flew over the blaze, they said it’s the second wheat field fire they’d seen that week.

“It’s not uncommon, but it’s still a dangerous fire. They can move very quickly. Puts the crop at risk, puts the equipment at risk, and puts people at risk, for sure,” said North Huron and Central Huron Fire Chief, Kent Readman.

Wheat fields at harvest time are primed for ignition because it’s usually at the driest, hottest part of the summer, with huge machinery running full throttle through the middle of them.

“That’s usually how a lot of these fires start. Something on the combine, or tractor, or truck malfunctions, or creates heat, and that lights the field on fire,” explained Readman.

A wheat field fire near Bayfield, Ont. on July 23, 2023. (Source: Jolyanne Landry)

Readman said a fire crews’ first response to these kinds of fires is to ensure everyone is safe, then they try to contain or stop the spread, which many times, farmers can help with.

“Some farm equipment is designed to spread large amounts of water or manure in a short amount of time, so we’ve seen that before, running that up and down a field if it’s close by. We’ve also seen a cultivator or disc, something that can break ground, to create a dirt fire break which will remove the fuel, and once the fire gets to that point, there’s nothing left to burn,” said Readman.

Readman said the increasing size of farms and fields means a 100 acre wheat field fire can easily become a 1,000 acre fire if the wind shifts.

“We don’t see too many of the small farms left. We’re seeing the larger, industrial type farms that are hundreds and hundreds of acres connected together. So, it can definitely spread a long ways, and fairly quickly,” he explained.