A 68-year-old man suffocated inside his silo after he climbed inside to make a repair Monday evening, Cumberland County authorities said.
Daniel Burkholder died of accidental asphyxia around 6:30 p.m. on his farm in South Middleton Township, according to the Cumberland County Coroner’s Office.
Coroner Charley Hall said the silo’s fumes caused Burkholder’s death. He was found about 20 minutes to half an hour after he crawled inside to check on something that wasn’t working properly. Hall said it would have taken only minutes for Burkholder to suffocate.
Burkholder’s body was reportedly found on the silo’s unloader. Hall said the silo has blowers that extricate the gases for safe entry, but they were not turned on before Burkholder went inside.
