Photo by RR Best
Combine Fire
Sullivan firefighter Chris Coy douses a combine that caught fire just off the Kirksville road outside Sullivan Sunday evening. According to Sullivan Fire Chief Mike Piper, firefighters from his department arrived on scene (1350N & .25 miles east of 875E) at 5:05 p.m. to witness a combine fully engulfed after it, along with several other pieces of farm equipment, had just finished harvesting the remainder of last year’s crop.
The fire was extinguished in approximately 20 minutes.
Piper says he does not have an official estimate of the damage in terms of dollars but would approximate it between $250,000-$300,000. In addition to the combine being a total loss, a nearby tractor also suffered minor damage as did an auger wagon. Schlicht Farms out of Pleasant Plains, Ill. is the owner of the equipment. The cause of the fire is undetermined.