Firefighters were kept busy in three counties Tuesday morning responding to a series of hay bale fires.

Starting about 4:30 a.m. reports were received by fire and law enforcement agencies of hay bale fires east of Wellsville in Miami County, Franklin County Sheriff Craig Davis said.

Within 30 minutes fires also were reported in Franklin County about two miles south of Wellsville, 5 miles south of Baldwin, two miles east of Wellsville, and at Leloup, Davis said.

About 10 a.m. hay bales were reported on fire north of Wellsville just inside the Douglas County line. They were extinguished by the Palmyra Township and Baldwin city fire departments, Davis said.

The fires were set but it was undetermined how the hay bales were ignited, Davis said. An investigation is continuing he said. He asked for the public’s help in watching for suspicious vehicles moving slowly along county roads during the early morning hours.