Batavia Hay Fire Outside Home Ends in $1K Damages Monday

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A small hay fire Monday afternoon shook up some residents on Batavia's north side.

The fire took place just outside a garage on the 1400 block of Orion Road. Batavia, North Aurora and other area fire crews were dispatched to the scene at 12:33 p.m., according to a press release.

The initial call was for a possible garage fire, but once on scene fire crews found a bale of straw burning next to a garage. They were able to extinguish the blaze with minimal damage to the house exterior.

The fire did not extend to the home interior, said Robert White, a Batavia Fire battalion chief. The fire was reported under control at 12:46 p.m. Monday.

Jeff Morrison, the home's renter, was not there when the fire started, but his daughter and her babysitter were.

"We're just lucky that gas can didn't explode," Morrison said, gesturing to a red canister that sat just off the driveway. The can was right near the bale of hay when the hay set on fire. Both items were between the babysitter's minivan and the garage at the top of the driveway when the fire broke out.

The official cause of the blaze was undetermined Monday. It could have been spontaneous combustion, Morrison said.

Neighbor's Response

Michelle Burgwaldt was inside her home when a woman came to her door to tell her there was a fire next door. She called 911 and headed outside.

Burgwaldt grabbed the Morrison's beagle and took it into her house. She kept her distance while trying to put out the fire with a small extinguisher. It took about three minutes for the first fire crews to arrive, but it felt like much longer.

"Michelle was like a firewoman in training," Morrison said.

Fire crews tore into the siding of the garage door frame to make sure the blaze didn't extend into the wood. The upper right-hand corner of the door was burnt, but otherwise intact.

The hood of the babysitter's minivan has ashes and soot spread on it, but otherwise it was fine.

There was an estimated $1,000 in damages from the fire, the release said.

About the Crew

There were a total of 29 personnel on scene. The first unit arrived at 12:37 p.m. Monday and the last unit was cleared at 1:30 p.m., according to the press release.

Five fire engines, two trucks, two medics and four command vehicles responded to the incident. No one was hurt during the ordeal.

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