At 12:12 PM, KVFD was dispatched to assist the Cochranville Fire Company with a barn fire soon changed to a silo fire at a farm in the 400 block of Gum Tree Road, Highland Township, Chester County. Multiple departments from Western Chester County and Eastern Lancaster County were also requested to assist.

Cochranville Fire Chief Dean Hoopes assumed "Gum Tree Road Command" and began to develop an Incident Action Plan with his Command staff as additional units arrived. It was determined that there were cracks appearing in the concrete silo with a risk of collapse. All crews were pulled back outside the collapse zone and Command waited for the arrival of an expert in such fires.

The heat and high humidity also created an hazard with the risk of heat exhaustion so Ambulance 8-1 and Ambulance 37-2 set up a rehabilitation station. Cochranville had members respond with food, hot-dogs, chips and beverages, and everyone was fed.

At 3:15 PM, Command released most units as a severe storm was headed into the area, and decided to monitor the situation with a light crew from Cochranville Fire Co., as it was too dangerous to proceed with suppression efforts.

All KVFD units, except Ambulance 8-1, cleared and returned to the stations. Christiana Fire Company, Lancaster County, had been on stand-by at the Central station to cover the District.

Lancaster County "52" Thanks for your assistance covering the District.

Highland Township Fire Marshal, Gerald McKee, also responded and was on-scene.

There was a partial lane restriction in place throughout the afternoon with traffic control by area fire police.

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