Firefighters from 13 departments battled a hay bale fire at a farm in the 6000 block of West Pines Road between Oregon and Polo on Monday afternoon.

“When we got here a field was on fire and hay bales were on fire,” said Polo Fire Chief Jim Ports. “I don’t know what caused it yet.”

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Firefighters from several departments responded to a field and hay bale fire at a farm on West Pines Road between Polo and Oregon on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. Here, farmers use tractors to carry and separate the burning bales in an open area where firefighters could extinguish them. (Earleen Hinton)

Ports said the fire affected 2 to 3 acres, but flames did not reach nearby farm buildings. He said no animals or firefighters were injured.

The large hay bales were moved by farm tractors with bucket loader attachments as firefighters worked to pull apart the burning hay and douse them with water.

Because of the rural location, water tenders – tankers carrying water – from area departments responded to the scene.

Ports said departments providing mutual aid were Sterling, Mt. Morris, Forreston, Dixon Rural, Franklin Grove, Oregon, Byron, Milledgeville, Leaf River, Chadwick, Amboy, and Stillman Valley.