HINTON, Iowa (AP) _ Fire officials say a lit cigarette tossed from a vehicle sparked a fire that destroyed 400 hay bales in a pasture near Hinton in northwest Iowa.

The Le Mars Daily Sentinel says the bales were lined up along a fence. Hinton Fire Chief Chad Beck says someone pulled up to a stop sign on Wednesday and flipped a cigarette out the window. It started a fire in a ditch.

The fire spread to the first row of hay bales and the wind kept driving the fire from row to row.

No one was hurt in the fire, which destroyed all 400 bales. Each weighs about 1,800 pounds and is worth $300 to $400 apiece. Fire officials expect the bales will smolder for days.