Just before noon today, Central Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call of a cotton picker fire in a field off County Road 5 in the Pollards Bend Community.
The John Deere picker was being operated by the owner, George Eubanks, when the blaze erupted. Eubanks said the fire was under the basket. He said it may have been caused by a broken belt but no way of knowing until the machine can be inspected.
Mr. Eubanks said he and his employees had the main fire out when firefighters arrived and they were instrumental in making sure it did not spread to the basket. He maneuvered the picker to an area in the field where the cotton had already been picked to prevent the fire from spreading to the field. There were no injuries.
The Leesburg Fire Department responded to the scene.
