SLEEPY EYE - Firefighters from Sleepy Eye, Springfield and New Ulm battled three field fires, simultaneously at times Friday afternoon, north and west of Sleepy Eye.
The first call came in at about 12:45 p.m. on a field of picked beans and standing corn owned by Joe Hacker, just east of Evan, near the intersection of County Road 29 and 315th Avenue.
At 1:55 p.m., firefighters were called to a 40 acre field of bean stubble owned by Scott Simon, three miles north of Sleepy Eye and a half mile east of State Highway 4.
"This fire was the most challenging. We were there until 4:30 p.m. A big thanks to three neighbors who assisted with tractors and diggers," said Sleepy Eye Fire Chief Tom Moldaschel.
Firefighters were called at 2:10 p.m. to a picked field owned by Stan Seifert, near the Leavenworth silage pit, east of Cobden. Firefighters left the field at 4 p.m.
"The wind made small field fires large in a hurry. We needed to get out there fast. We all need to stick together with these challenging conditions," Moldaschel said.