Rural fire departments in eastern Lancaster County were busy with two combine fires that broke out Monday afternoon.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the first one happened just before 3 p.m. near Highway 43 and Martell Road, just south of Bennet.
LSO said a combine, in an already-harvested field, caught fire. Strong winds spread the flames to the field itself and then to a nearby tree line. Deputies said that the tree line played a role in keeping the fire from spreading further.
Volunteers firefighters from Bennet, Firth, and Hickman all responded to the scene. LSO said there was a $300,000 loss for the combine involved.
Roughly 30 minutes later, just before 3:30 p.m., volunteers from Waverly Fire & Rescue were called to a combine fire near 176th and Waverly Road.