Headers go up in flames as farmers churn through bumper crops, sparking safety warning

When Cunderdin farmer Andrew Irving saw an engine warning light flash while harvesting his wheat crop, he had no way of knowing his header would be engulfed in flames within seconds. The fire, which he said ignited at “exactly 11am on the 11th of November”, rendered the $500,000 machine a write-off — though fortunately no one was injured. “Within about seven or eight seconds of that light coming on, the engine just died — it lost all drive and lost all power,” Mr Irving recalled. “I looked in my mirrors and there was flames shooting out the right-hand side of the header, roughly where the exhaust is. “By the time I got down the steps, got the fire extinguisher and got round to the engine bay, there was burning fuel on the ground and the engine bay was well alight.” The incident was just one in a spate of recent header fires across the Wheatbelt. Farmers have been taking to social media to share their unfortunate experiences, with fires also confirmed in Mingenew, Pingelly and East Chapman, in recent weeks. Mr Irving said the blaze was caused by an electrical short in the engine that melted a fuel line. Luckily his wife Tracey, who was driving the chaser bin, was able to retrieve a nearby firefighting ute within minutes. Neighbours also rushed to the couple’s aid and the blaze was under control in about 30 minutes, though the header continued smouldering for about 24 hours. “We contained the fire to within the perimeter of the header, so we didn’t lose any crop,” Mr Irving said. “Luckily it was a calm day; there was no wind and it was cool. If it had been any other day that week, we’d have lost hundreds of hectares. “We’ve got to give a big thanks to all the neighbours for how quickly everybody came, and the Tammin Fire and Rescue, they were bloody brilliant as well.” It took about two weeks to find a replacement header, but despite the setback Mr Irving — who also grows barley, canola and lupins — expects to finish harvesting before Christmas. He said he had heard of several recent header fires in the Cunderdin and Corrigin areas. Mingenew farmer Geoff Cosgrove lost a header in similar circumstances while harvesting barley last Wednesday. The blaze took hold about 7pm and by the time he realised what was happening, it was too late. “First I knew of it was I got a warning there was an electrical fault — that was obviously wiring melting — telling me that the circuit had broken,” Mr Cosgrove said. “I looked in the mirror and saw the flames, pulled out of the crop and then within a minute the whole header was on fire.” Despite his quick thinking, Mr Cosgrove’s header was “totalled” and the fire also destroyed “four or five” hectares of crop and about 20ha of stubble. “I just jumped out, had a quick look and realised that I wasn’t going to be able to save it with the extinguisher on board,” he said. “The neighbours started turning up and within probably an hour and a half we had it all mopped up.” Because the Cosgroves run three harvesters and were able to source a replacement fairly quickly, the setback only lasted two days. Mr Cosgrove — whose family crop about 11,000ha of wheat, canola, lupins and barley between Mingenew and Arrino — said he was aware of two header fires north of Mingenew in recent weeks, and had heard rumour of “a fair few” across WA. Safe Farms WA executive officer Maree Gooch said header fires happened every year and were not unexpected, particularly given this year’s record harvest. “The important thing is for everyone to be aware that fires are going to happen, identify that it is a hazard, and manage and mitigate the risk,” she said. “Check the grain dust, probably more often than you might have done in the past; ensure your workers are trained in knowing what to look for and how to react; conduct fire safety training; and check in daily with your team to make sure they’re OK and the fire unit is accessible and ready to go. “Managing fatigue is absolutely critical, this year in particular, because of the large crop and also reduced access to skilled workers.” Despite their bad luck, Mr Irving and Mr Cosgrove said the harvest was otherwise going very well.