A field fire in the 12600 block of O Avenue north of Bouton was brought under control about noon Tuesday through the quick thinking of the farmer on scene and the rapid response of the Woodward and Perry Volunteer Fire Departments.
Doug Volz of rural Bouton said he was harvesting the crop when the bearing in his combine’s left chopper rotor failed, with the resulting heat from the rotor igniting the corn. Winds gusting to 20 mph Tuesday increased the risk of a large blaze.
“I could see it burning behind me,” Volz said. He said he used the combine to cut a makeshift fire break between the burning corn and the rest of the field.
“It cost four or five acres of good corn but probably saved 50,” he said.
Joe Spellman, Volz’s neighbor to the north, quickly arrived on the scene with Woodward Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ken Cavanaugh and Fire Captain Karl Harris, who were assisting Spellman in his fields.
Perry Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Hinds responded with a tanker truck.
