PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A fire tore through a Butler County family’s dairy barn last week, leveling the century-old building but claiming no lives.
Fire crews from across the region battled intense flames and high winds at Dawn and Dave Mock’s farm in western Pennsylvania on the morning of Oct. 22. The blaze also brought out the local farming community with trucks, trailers and manpower to help evacuate cows.
“When somebody hears ‘barn fire,’ all of us farmers pretty much go running towards them,” said James Thiele, a local dairy farmer who took in some of the Mocks’ cattle after the fire.
Efforts to help the Mock family rebuild their barn and regain their livelihood have already raised nearly $50,000, as of Oct. 26, with a goal of collecting $100,000. The family had insurance, but the donations will help them with expenses that are not covered fully.
“Let’s come together as a community and help them recover from this heartbreaking loss and let them know they are not alone,” the GoFundMe page read.
The fire
The blaze is believed to have been caused by a vacuum pump, quickly evolving into a fully involved fire, according to Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Alan Troyan. Winds reached 30 to 40 miles per hour, he said, fanning the flames and complicating efforts to get them under control.
To supply enough water, firefighters called in as many as 20 tankers from nearby communities. The fire, Troyan said, ultimately grew to what he described as “well over three, four alarms.”
Crews arrived within minutes, but by the time they got there, the barn was already engulfed. Soon, the fire would also claim the empty silo standing nearby.
Amid the chaos, firefighters, farm workers and neighbors managed to rescue the herd, consisting of approximately 65 cows, all of which were successfully evacuated. Crews also saved several pieces of equipment and kept other nearby structures from burning. But the Mocks’ well and their water softener were both inside the barn; with both destroyed, they were left with no water for their home or their animals.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury and was treated on site and released.
High winds remained a concern even after the fire was extinguished. Troyan said crews were called back early the next morning when the fire briefly rekindled.
Despite the challenges, Troyan praised the cooperation between departments and the support from the community.
“We would like to express gratitude for all our neighboring mutual aid departments and even our non-mutual aid departments that came out to assist,” he said.
Local businesses also pitched in to help firefighters, including a nearby bar and restaurant that donated over 80 pounds of chicken wings as well as pizza and water to feed first responders.
Helping hands
That same spirit of generosity extended to neighboring farmers who stepped up to care for the displaced animals. Thiele’s family farm, located about 10 to 15 minutes away from the fire scene, quickly mobilized after hearing about a fire at a nearby dairy barn.
“We were there helping, trying to get cows rearranged, and we even have some here with us at our farm,” Thiele said.
When word came that help was needed, the community responded fast.
“There might have been 20, 30 people there helping to wrangle these cows up,” Thiele said, a major undertaking since the cows had scattered across the property.
Farmers worked together to find temporary homes for the animals. The Thieles took in a dozen weaned calves until the Mocks can restore water access at their farm. Four other dairy farms also took in the Mocks’ milking herd.
For Thiele, the fire was a reminder of both the risks and the resilience that come with farm life.
“(The Mocks) are great people,” he said. “It’s just great to see that this farming community, you know, they try to help their own.”
In a public Facebook post, Dawn Mock asked for prayers for her family as they navigated the clean-up and next steps. Dave and Dawn Mock run the farm with their children, Wyatt, Hunter and Sierra.
“This was our livelihood, my kids’ ‘home’ and a lot of blood, sweat and tears from my husband & kids over many years,” she wrote on Facebook. “It’s his family history and it’s just devastating and heartbreaking to lose it!”
The farm has been in the Mock family since 1943. Renee Mock, Dave Mock’s niece, wrote on Facebook that her great-grandfather helped build the barn in 1906, before the farm was owned by the family.
“He brought his team of horses and pan shovel there and dug out the foundation,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “The beams/walls were put together on the ground, and the teams used to pull them upright.”
The GoFundMe page can be found here: https://gofund.me/99cfa95b3
The Butler County Farm Bureau is also collecting donations and coordinating volunteer help and other agricultural donations for the family. Monetary donations can be mailed to Butler County Farm Bureau, PO Box 138, Saxonburg, PA 16056.
