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Forty round hay bales covered by a tarpaulin caught fire Tuesday morning on the University of Tennessee Farm, spreading odor and smoke in all directions.

Alcoa Fire Department received the call at 6:22 a.m. to UT Farm, 4363 Wheeler Road, Louisville, said Alcoa Fire incident commander Capt. Tom Clark.

According to UT Farm officials, there were four rows of round bales of 80 each, which were covered by tarps. The product was valued at $36,000. including tarps, Clark said.

Alcoa managed to contain the fire to one half of one row, or 40 bales.

The hay was worth $80 to $100 per bale and the tarp was $500. This brought the loss of the one half row of hay to between $4,100 and $4,500, including the tarp, Clark said.

Three UT Farm workers used two tractors and the Alcoa Public Works Department sent a backhoe and operators to pull the burning hay away from the other bales. The round bales, which were wound tightly in the baling process, were then pulled apart and the hay spread over the farm.

Initially firemen worked to preserve as much of the hay as possible and then extinguish the burning bales spread over the farm.

Blount County Farm Department's station at Louisville is closed, but one truck was still housed at the Alcoa station. Alcoa firefighters were able to use that vehicle.

Blount County Fire Chief Doug McClanahan said his department assisted Alcoa in fighting the fire.

He said when he got to Shoney's at Farrport he saw and smelled the smoke. "We sent a couple of tankers to supply them with water and two people," he said.

Alcoa sent 11 personnel and eight pieces of equipment.

The fire was completely out by 9:30 a.m. and Alcoa firefighters left the scene at 11:07 a.m.

UT Farm workers stayed on the property to guard against the fire rekindling again.

There were no animals on the property and people fighting the fire were unharmed, Clark said.

The hay was cut three months ago and the cause of the fire was determined to be natural from spontaneous combustion. Clark said if any moisture or rain gets inside the bales covered by the tarps, it can spark a fire.