St Arnaud shed fire causes 8000 hay bales go up in flames

FIREFIGHTERS have controlled an 8000 hay bale fire at St Arnaud, after it was called in about 7am.

A Country Fire Authority representative said crews would monitor the site over the coming days.

Earlier

ST ARNAUD area residents have been warned of smoke, after crews battled a large shed fire in the area.

The Country Fire Authority was called to reports of a shed fire shortly after 7am, with crews finding a shed of approximately with around 8000 large square bales well alight.

The fire was also spreading to a production shed.

The large shed fire is on the corner of Charlton-St Arnaud Road and Prestwood Rd, St Arnaud.

It has been advised there is no threat to the community, but residents should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions.

State Duty Officer Peter Lucas said crews were fast to escalate request for assistance following the initial reports.

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"Very early on, we asked for 20 tankers and FRV assisted with some specialist equipment on top of that from as far away as Bendigo," SDO Lucas said.

"That's what CFA does, we scale up to get as many resources on the road as quickly as we can."

Commander Ian Morley was on scene and said an advice message has been issued for smoke in the area, with the hay fire expected to burn for several days.

"We're pretty happy with the current situation. We're waiting for an excavator to come and will likely declare it under control around midday," Commander Morley said.

"There was no medical injuries and no persons at risk, and it's been good to have Ambulance Victoria and a CFA rehab unit on scene to help our crews."

The cause remains unknown however it is not being treated as suspicious, with fire investigators expected to attend the scene.

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