Hay bale fire destroys semi, trailer, former school building

A hay load fire last Thursday night on Highway 26 destroyed a semi truck and trailer unit and led to a fire Sunday which destroyed a former school building along the highway near the Penawawa intersection.

Kristian Gibler, 43, Palouse was hauling the load of hay westbound when it caught fire. Gibler told Trooper Katelyn Baxter he looked in the rearview mirror and noticed smoke coming from the load.

He stopped the truck on the westbound side of the highway and attempted to push the burning bales off the Kenworth until the fire became too hot.

Suspected cause of the fires is exhaust from the truck.

Fire volunteers from Dusty, Diamond, Colfax and Onecho responded to the scene. Four Star and Wilbur Ellis assisted with tanker support.

The smoldering hay was pushed off the tractor-trailer and ignited a small fire along the highway shoulder.

A WSP district office report from Spokane issued a shutdown notice for Highway 26 at 7:22 p.m.

Trooper Baxter said one-lane traffic on the highway was restored after about 90 minutes, but full use of the highway wasn't restored until several hours later.

Damage to crops was avoided because the hay went into the highway ditch at a location next to summer fallow fields.

Rural fire crews from Rural Districts 11 and 13 responded to a report of a structure fire at Penawawa Road Sunday at about 11:20 a.m.

The fire was believed to have started off the hay bales. The bales had been moved to a ditch along the highway and crews at that time worked to disassemble the bales and douse them.

Work crews at the scene Sunday morning re-ignited some of the bales, and sparks are believed to have spread to the grass and wall and shake roof of the former church school building on the north side of the highway. The fire destroyed the roof of the structure before it was contained.

The building, which was located at the former George Musgrave residence, was subsequently razed after the Sunday fire.