Brush Fire Consumes Hay and Hog Pens at Costello Ranch
A routine cleanup of orchard waste turns into a local disaster when a sudden wind catches the rancher's winter feed supply.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A very serious fire occurred at the Patrick Costello ranch north of town last Monday, burning up about thirty tons of first class hay and a small stack of inferior quality. Mr. Costello had been cleaning up a lot of brush and waste around the premises and as a slight wind was blowing, the sparks attacked the hay stack before they could be put out, with the result that the very best hay on the ranch was totally destroyed. The hog pens near by were also destroyed.
“A slight wind was blowing the sparks attacked the hay stack before they could be put out.”
Agricultural fires remain a persistent threat to rural property in Benton County, where wind-driven grass and brush fires frequently jump to outbuildings or feed stores during the dry summer months.
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