Rhodes loses $40,000 of hay to Arizona fire
KINGMAN, Ariz. — Authorities are investigating a suspicious fire that destroyed a huge pile of hay valued about $40,000 at Jim Rhodes’ farm in the northwest Arizona community of Golden Valley.
Fire Chief Thomas O’Donohue said firefighters responded about 9 p.m. to the fire where hay had been harvested, baled and stacked on the Las Vegas developer’s operation near Aztec and Shinarump roads.
“They discovered approximately 1,200 hay bales that weigh approximately 2,000 pounds fully involved in fire,” a news release stated. “Chief O’Donohue reported the enormous stack was approximately 150-feet long and 50-feet wide and could be seen for 10 miles in all directions.”
O’Donohue said the fire is being treated as suspicious and that an investigation continues.
Portions of the scorched hay stack were being allowed to burn themselves out.
“We expect this to slowly burn for up to 48 hours, and for the smoke to hang over the valley until late Wednesday night,” he said.
Rhodes’ Kingman Farms enterprise has drawn opposition in the form of dust complaints. Local residents and government officials have also expressed concern about the amount of water being used to irrigate crops in Golden Valley and at another Rhodes farm at Red Lake, about 20 miles north of Kingman.
