Stubborn hay fire intentionally set, fire chief says

BARRIE, ONT. -- According to Clearview Township's fire chief, a stubborn fire east of Stayner burning for more than 20 hours was intentionally set.

Firefighters were called to the field, which served as bulk straw storage, at about 11:15 p.m. Friday. Firefighters worked through Saturday, picking apart bales and extinguishing flames.

Officials have not said if they have any suspects in mind.

Crews still on scene of this fire, this malicious fire has tied up a lot of resources even after transitioning to rapid fuel reduction tactics. Once again, thank you to the ff’s who have spent a great deal of time extinguishing this fire. The less than ideal side of ff’ting pic.twitter.com/BA1iFpF53w

— Roree Payment (@CFES_FireChief) October 17, 2020

Rapid fuel reduction tactics underway pic.twitter.com/dbwJLqFo11

— Roree Payment (@CFES_FireChief) October 17, 2020

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  A straw fire burn in Clearview Twp., Ont. on Saturday, October 17, 2020 (Fire Chief Roree Payment/Twitter)