A recent fire near Kindersley has Firefighters warning farmers to take caution when drying their grain.

Earlier in the month, a grain dryer caught fire north east of Marengo. Kindersley Fire Chief Ron Hope said that the cause of the fire was the grain itself, as it overheated in the drying process, which he says is a fairly common occurrence.

Producers have had extra incentive to use grain dryers this year due to the poor weather Saskatchewan received during harvest.

Chief Hope explained that the grain can plug up the machine when wet, which builds up heat and leads to fire. There are several ways to help avoid a grain dryer fire. Producers can make sure that they inspect the grain flow in columns to ensure columns are full and flowing properly, keep foreign materials out of the dryers so they don’t build up and create a blockage. It is also important not to bypass dryer controls or sensors, and to inspect, look, and listen to the dryer on a regular basis during operation.

“When that grain is going in there, and it’s on the wet side, sometimes it does stick a little bit as it goes in and heats up. From time to time they happen.” said Chief Hope

The Kindersley Fire Department had the blaze extinguished before too long, and nobody was injured.