TAFT, Texas — Several Coastal Bend fire agencies were busy this morning as they responded to a large cotton bale fire near Taft.
Crews with the Taft Volunteer Fire and Rescue were called to County Road 1906 near Taft around 5:45 a.m. and found several cotton bales on fire. Portland, Gregory, Odem and Sinton crews were also called to the scene for tanker and brush truck support, a post from the Taft Volunteer Fire Department said.
Crews decided to let the fire burn itself out, officials said.
Officials said the area around the fire remains "active with heavy smoke and can be smelled in town."
"I estimated about 20 bales on fire. As the other units responded the whole 35 to 40 estimated were completely engulfed by then," Taft Volunteer Fire Department assistant fire chief Michael Vasquez.
Jodi Janssen, the manager of the nearby West Portland Cotton Gin said it could have easily been smoldering since the harvest.
"It could be that the machine maybe picked a rock up in the field or something like that and just the friction caused a spark and it could be in the bale and it can sit there for a couple of days and then just break out," Jansen said.
While the rolls of cotton continued to burn firefighters remained on the scene just to make sure it didn't spread. But firefighters said there's no danger of a water shortage.
3NEWS was told this is a tough year for producers because of the drought and at over a dollar a pound, each roll could be worth more than 2,000 dollars. But most harvests are insured.
Vasquez said they can handle any calls that come in but the only shortage they deal with is manpower. "Go to your volunteer fire department. We always need help."
"Dispatch has been notified and personnel will be rotating shifts to keep an eye on the area," a post by Taft Volunteer Fire and Rescue said. "No structures or property are in danger as this location is surrounded by fields. Please be aware of this and try not to flood dispatch with 911 calls if you are in the area. Once again Fire personnel are on site monitoring this area."
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story said hay bales were burning. This story has been updated to show they were cotton bales, not hay bales.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- Aransas Pass Police kill man after kidnapping, car chase, shootout
- Harbor Bridge developer still not commenting on TxDOT order to halt construction
- 'It's incredible': Family of Selena talks new music from the Queen of Tejano on Good Morning America
- Corpus Christi family looks for answers after father of two was found dead inside burned SUV in San Antonio
- Corpus Christi LGBTQ+ community concerned stigma will grow as monkeypox virus spreads
Want to send us a news tip?
Put your name and contact information below so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.
If you do not have a photo/video to submit, just click "OK" to skip that prompt.