Firefighters from the Cobourg Fire Department and Hamilton Township Fire Department spent most of Friday, July 17, extinguishing persistent hot spots from a massive straw fire on Workman Road.
The blaze, which broke out Thursday afternoon, involved approximately 150 large straw bales and required an extensive response from multiple fire departments. Crews from Cobourg were assisted through mutual aid by the Hamilton Township and Alnwick/Haldimand Township Fire Departments as they worked for nearly 10 hours to bring the fire under control.
Heavy equipment was brought in to separate the tightly packed bales, allowing firefighters to reach burning material deep within the pile. Despite their efforts, crews remained on scene until about 1 a.m. Friday before finally leaving.
Only a few hours later, firefighters were called back after hot spots continued to smoulder. They spent most of Friday carefully pulling apart the remaining straw and soaking it with water to prevent the fire from reigniting.
Straw bale fires are particularly challenging because the densely packed material can retain heat for hours—or even days—making complete extinguishment a slow and labour-intensive process. Firefighters continued monitoring and dousing the pile to ensure no hidden embers remained.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
