Residents driving on Keith Bridge Road by Shadburn Road Tuesday afternoon were surprised to see large plumes of black smoke and orange flames coming from a truck in the north Forsyth intersection.

Around 2 p.m. Tuesday, a “large truck loaded with hay bales” caught fire after the hay ignited for unknown reasons, according to Forsyth County Fire Department Division Chief Jason Shivers, spokesman for the department.

“The cause is unknown but that type of incident is not uncommon,” he said. “Hay, straw, and similar organic matter can easily spontaneously combust when stacked in tight formations and the heat generated when stacked together can easily support combustion once the load is moving down the road and has wind blowing through it.”

Two fire engines and one tanker truck responded to the fire, which was extinguished by “methodically removing the bales and tearing them apart while flooding them with water,” Shivers said.

No injuries were reported, though the truck did suffer damage due to the heat, flames and water.