ELLSWORTH – Two trailers full of hay parked in a harborside Water Street lot caught fire Saturday evening, sending a smoky haze out over the nearby Union River as the sun was going down.

Ellsworth Deputy Fire Chief Richard Tupper said at the scene it was unknown how the fire started.

The trailers are owned by R.F. Jordan, a local construction company, Tupper said.

About half a dozen local firefighters answered the 6:30 p.m. call. They sprayed water on the hay inside the trailers through openings on the sides and cut holes with an ax and a chain saw to get at the flames. Tupper said the department had called for a backhoe to rip open the sides of the trailers so firefighters could make sure the blaze was extinguished.

More than an hour after arriving at the scene, firefighters had been able to contain the fire to the trailers but were still working to make sure the flames were out.