Tractor catches fire

It was a hot time at Hedlin Farms in La Conner on Saturday morning, though not by design. A tractor caught afire when flame weeding just east of town went awry. Hedlin’s employee David Rodriguez was on the hot seat only briefly, able to safely dismount the burning John Deere 7210 model as La Conner and District 13 firefighters arrived on scene. Locals say they were alerted to the incident by billowing smoke and what sounded like tractor tires exploding. Organic farms, like Hedlin’s, use flamers in lieu of chemicals for weed control. –Photos by Don Coyote