Ongoing drought conditions are being blamed for a large hay fire, southwest of Wishek, that was still being fought Monday at press time.

McIntosh County Disaster Emergency Manager DeLoris Rudolph said an estimated 600 to 700 bales were on fire, or threatened by the blaze. There also is a nearby sileage pile.

The hay is reportedly owned by Herman Kauk Jr. The fire was 5.5 miles west and 2 miles south of Wishek, near North Dakota Highway 13.

Rudolph said the fire was reported about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Dave Just, the Wishek fire chief, said all of the department's trucks and about 20 local firefighters responded through the night and into Monday.