Grant County Sheriff's Office looking for

suspects

COLUMBIA BASIN - Haystack arsonists appear to be causing trouble for farmers according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Two unidentified suspects were seen setting hay on fire on Road 1 Northwest, 14 miles south of Quincy, according to Grant County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy John Turley.

Witnesses reported the suspects crossed a fence at the Gorge campground early Sunday morning and threw burning objects into the hay.

The hay was a stack of round oat hay bales valued at approximately $120 per ton, he added. Approximately 78 to 84 round bales were lost in the fire. Round bales weigh 500 pounds to 1,000 pounds each.

"Witnesses were too far away to make positive identification of the two arsonists," Turley advised. "Other witnesses advised of seeing subjects fleeing the burning haystack crossing the fence line separating the property from the Gorge campground and blending back into a crowd of campers totaling more than 18,000."

Grant County Fire District No. 3 responded to the fire.

A second haystack fire was reported Monday night on Road 26 Southwest and Road R Southwest three miles southeast of Mattawa.

"This fire is regarded as suspicious in nature and an investigation is ongoing," he noted.

The fire damaged a haystack and a nearby steel structure.

Approximately 850 tons of Timothy hay was lost in the fire and a 40-foot by 150-foot steel building was damaged, according to Turley.

The hay is valued at $190 to $220 per ton.

Nearly 60 mature apple trees on a nearby property were damaged.

The Grant County Public Utility District shut down power to a pump station due to the fire, he added.

The fire was reported by an anonymous caller, Turley advised.

Grant County Fire District No. 8 also responded to the fire.

"The sheriff's office is encouraging all Grant County hay farmers to be aware that arsonists seem to be on the prowl," he noted. "Special attention needs to be made where there are remote stacks."

Citizens with further information on the haystack fires can contact the sheriff's office at 509-754-2011, extension 468.