Large fire destroys Penn Township dairy barn
A Penn Township dairy barn is a total loss after firefighters from multiple counties responded to a fire Wednesday morning, Oct. 22.
The barn, which is owned by Dawn Mock and her family, was destroyed by the fire.
The fire was first reported at 243 Powell Road at 9:30 a.m. The fire grew big enough that black smoke could be seen from miles away over the tree line.
Fire departments from across Butler County, as well as others from Allegheny and Beaver counties, had to be called in to battle the flames. The response caused Powell Road to be shut down at Pittsburgh and Brownsdale roads for hours.
Alan Troyer, chief of the Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department, said Wednesday evening the cause of the fire is currently undetermined.
Troyer said one firefighter sustained a minor injury while fighting the fire, but was treated on the scene and did not need to be transported for medical care.
As firefighters rushed to put out the fire on the sizable farm, a chief concern was the fire potentially reaching a silo behind the barn, though it ended up being empty. Responders spent several hours trying to put out the fire. Troyer said water supply was a minor concern and a reason for the large number of departments responding.
“The biggest thing was getting enough water there to put out the hay. There was a lot of burning hay we had to try and put out,” Troyer said.
There was no loss of life, and no animals were harmed. The owners were able to move livestock away from the barn before the fire spread too far.
“The wind didn’t help today. It helped it spread really quickly,” Troyer said.
Departments that responded included Penn Township, Saxonburg, Butler Township, Prospect-Franklin Township, Adams Area, Middlesex Township and Buffalo Township, along with the Butler Ambulance Service, plus other departments called in from Allegheny and Beaver counties. The Beacon Hotel provided food for the firefighters, Troyer said.
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau put out messages on Facebook asking for prayers and donations for the Mock family. Specific items like hay and feed, or monetary donations, are being requested. The Farm Bureau said it is currently working with other organizations to determine how to best help the family.
