Fire investigators later determined that a gas leak in a ceiling suspended furnace triggered a small explosion that started the fire. Although the structure was built in sections, a single roof system covered the entire building. This system permitted the fire to spread rapidly across all three sections of the building. Although the building and large equipment were well insured, much of the smaller equipment such as hoses and clothing were not covered. Hobart Hall, Fire Commissioner, Captain of the Fire Police, Ambulance Driver, and Fireman for more years than he cares to remember, sums up everyone's disbelief, "We never imagined that we would lose everything."

The building committee wanted to avoid a similar tragedy in the future. Hall explains, "[The new building] is built with divisions in it now. We couldn't possibly have a fire that spread through the whole building again. That was a concern of ours. We keep part of the equipment on one side and part on the other side, so we couldn't lose all of the equipment at one time."

Great Valley Volunteer Fire Company's new Morton fire station consists of a ten-bay 42' x 150' Energy Performer® apparatus room that is halved by a two hour firewall. The adjoining 36' x 35' office area houses meeting rooms and a radio room complete with "Hobie's Window." The window is positioned in such a way that rescue personnel awaiting more help can see who is approaching while talking on the radio. Litchfield relates another advantage, "It certainly heats better [than the old building] because it's better insulated... It's just a better building than what we had before."

Litchfield speaks for the department, "I think probably what we liked best was getting it with the speed that we got it and getting the building that would do the job, the building that we wanted, in a time frame that was rapid. That was key-getting it when we needed it." Although the building was completed just four short months after the fire, the company spent over a year replacing its equipment. Fire trucks are usually ordered one year in advance, but luckily the firefighters found a company that expedited the delivery of all their trucks. The fire company filled eight of its ten bays with emergency vehicles while the last two lie empty and await future expansion.

Tragedy often brings out the best in people, and this disaster was no exception. "The whole community got together and gave donations and gave their labor," remembers Hall. "That allowed us to build a building which was better than what we lost. We gained a lot from the community over that loss. People really got behind us and did a lot for us.... In a sense, we're better off today than we were before the fire. But would I want to go through it again? No way!... When I look back to '95 and all of the work we had to put into getting things going again, that's not something you'd want to go through ever year."