WATKINS -- The Minnesota State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of two separate fires at a Watkins area farm within the past four days.
The first fire was reported around 6 p.m. Monday in a machine shed on the Steve Tuman farm along County Road 34 in Forest Prairie Township. The shed contained hay, straw and farm machinery. The second fire was reported around 3 a.m. Thursday in a hay barn. Firefighters from the Eden Valley Fire Department arrived to find the barn engulfed in flames, according to information from the Meeker County Sheriff's Office.
Both buildings contained hay that was baled at the same time, according to Sheriff Mike Hirman. The fire marshal was due at the farm Thursday to investigate if the hay self-combusted or if the fires had another cause, he said.
The hay barn contained 6,000 bales of hay, a John Deere baler and a bale elevator. The total estimated loss is $34,000. No person or livestock was injured in the fire.
