ARGOS, Ind. —The death of a farmer inside an Indiana grain bin on August 10 is under investigation.

According to the Marshal County Coroner’s Office, the victim, Jonathon Hayn, 47, was working inside the grain bin on the family farm when he was apparently overcome by smoke from burning grain.

Emergency responders found Hayn deceased inside the grain bin at the farm in the 14000 block of Maple Road near Argos. 

Bill Field, a longtime farm safety expert at Purdue University, said grain bin fires are not uncommon and happen when corn or soybeans contain too much moisture when stored after the fall harvest. Field said the high moisture level causes grain to rot and while decomposing produce heat that can become hot enough to ignite.

Field said hay and other organic materials are also at risk of catching fire when stored at a higher moisture level. 

“If you took a bag of lawn clippings and put them in a plastic bag, the next day it’s going to be hot because the biological process generates heat as it breaks down,” he said.

Over time, Field said grain stored above a 14-percent moisture level forms clumps that stick to the inside walls. A farmer might be tempted to break up those clumps. 

Field said the best thing to do when discovering burning grain is allow firefighters to handle the situation since they have breathing equipment and training to safely address those situations.

He said one of the best ways to prevent grain bin fires is to store corn and soybeans when they’re basically dry. “If stored at the proper moisture level, you can store it for two to three years,” he said.

Field also recommends farmers fix any leaks they might have in their grain bins to keep out moisture.

Indiana had five grain bin entrapments last year, which led the nation.