By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

What a driver on Interstate 135 believed was a structure fire early this morning south of Salina turned out to be a hay bale fire.

Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning that a driver on I-135 saw a large fire in the 8000 block of Centennial Road at approximately 12:42 a.m. Thursday. The driver pulled off the highway and discovered that a stack of 360 square hay bales was on fire.

Multiple rural fire districts responded to the blaze and were able to save a third of the stack of bales, Soldan said. Kevin Pihl, 64, of rural Saline County, estimated loss to his bales at $36,000.

A nearby stack of 360 bales was not damaged, Soldan said.

The cause of the fire had not yet been determined, he added.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660234130066.jpeg" alt="A firefighter sprays water on the burning hay bales. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office" />
 <figcaption>A firefighter sprays water on the burning hay bales. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostWhat a driver on Interstate 135 believed was a structure fire early this morning south of Salina turned out to be a hay bale fire.Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning that a driver on I-135 saw a large fire in the 8000 block of Centennial Road at approximately 12:42 a.m. Thursday. The driver pulled off the highway and discovered that a stack of 360 square hay bales was on fire.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660234239164.jpeg" alt="Some of the burning bales." />
 <figcaption>Some of the burning bales.</figcaption>
 </figure>Multiple rural fire districts responded to the blaze and were able to save a third of the stack of bales, Soldan said. Kevin Pihl, 64, of rural Saline County, estimated loss to his bales at $36,000.A nearby stack of 360 bales was not damaged, Soldan said.The cause of the fire had not yet been determined, he added.

Blaze destroys $36,000 worth of hay bales south of Salina