We realize this is kind of a stinky story, but if it's news, we want to give you; even if it smells, and is relatively combustible.

The DEC learned that horse manure in a stable near Syracuse spontaneously caught fire due to the excessive hot and dry conditions. It took 3 local fire departments 2 hours to put out the flames. They weren't hoofing around either. Officials say that strong winds contributed to the blaze.

According to WKTV:

The state Department of Environmental Conservation says it received multiple complaints July 5 about the smell and smoke emanating from a burning pile of horse manure at a property in the town of Throop, in the Finger Lakes region 20 miles west of Syracuse.

We know it's hot here in Upstate, New York, but this is ridiculous.  For all of you neigh-sayers, we're not horsing around when we tell you that just about anything can catch fire in this scorching heat.  We're hoping this doesn't happen again, but it it does, here's some friendly neighborly advice: Once the smell begins to stirrup the air, don't bale; hold your horses and it will eventually smell wonderful again.

Strange Stuff You Can Compost With..Including Manure

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