LONGMONT, Colo. --
About 900 tons of hay went up in flames Wednesday morning after a massive hay barn caught fire in Longmont.
Firefighters from Mountain View Fire got the call that the barn at the Docheff Dairy caught fire around 3:20 a.m., said spokesman Steve Pischke.
Firefighters arrived and worked to contain the fire and keep it from spreading to a nearby metal barn, but decided to let the hay burn off.
Pischke said putting water on hay fires actually makes them worse and can lengthen the time it takes for the fire to burn out. Hay repels water and is densely packed.
Family members tell the Longmont Times-Call that the fire has burned about 7,000 small hay bales and 150 large hay bales.
Firefighters had to truck in water to the barn located at 1441 Weld County Road 28. At least three fire trucks will be on scene Wednesday monitoring the fire.
Pischke said firefighters hope the roof of the barn will stay up and allow the hay to burn off. It if collapses, the roof would protect the fire and lengthen the time the fire burns.
He said it could take at least a week for the fire to completely burn out.
There is no word as to what started the fire. No injuries were reported.
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