Several fire brigade teams from the Turin and Vercelli commands intervened last night and until the morning in Verrua Savoia to put out a large fire that broke out in the barn of a farm in the Cavezzino area.
The flames destroyed more than two hundred bales of hay.
The alarm was raised around 9pm yesterday, when residents noticed an intense column of smoke rising towards the night sky.. Within minutes, fire brigade teams arrived on site and immediately began extinguishing operations.
The intervention of the firefighters to put out a hay bale fire (archive)
Operations were particularly complex due to the size of the fire and the nature of the burning material. In fact, round bales of hay are highly flammable and, once lit, can burn for hours.
The fire was only put out in the morning.
Although the precise causes of the fire are still under investigation, there are several hypotheses as to how it could have started. A common hypothesis concerns the spontaneous combustion of hay: this phenomenon occurs when hay, harvested in too humid conditions, begins to ferment, producing heat. If the heat is not dissipated, it can build up and cause the hay itself to ignite. Other hypotheses are also being investigated, such as arson, even if at the moment there seems to be no evidence in this sense.
This incident is not an isolated case in Italy. Hay bale fires are relatively common in agricultural areas.
The Verrua Savoia fire represents a hard blow for the affected agricultural company. Round bales of hay are in fact an important resource, mainly used to feed livestock. Their loss can result in significant economic and logistical costs, as well as a potential impact on production.
