Around 18,000 cows were killed in a blast at a Texas dairy farm this week, local authorities report. The explosion, at the South Fork Dairy near the town of Dimmitt, also left one person in a critical condition.
US authorities say that agricultural machinery most likely ignited methane gas, leading to the explosion. The fire likely started sometime on Monday evening and burned uncontrollably throughout the night, killing thousands of animals in the process.
“Texas agriculture received a tragic blow on 10 April when an explosion at a Panhandle dairy farm killed approximately 18,000 cattle and critically injured one agricultural worker,” said Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. “This was the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history and the investigation and clean-up may take some time.”
Sheriff Sal Riviera told local media that most cattle had been lost in the blaze, but that “some survived” and “some… are probably injured to the point where they’ll have to be destroyed.”
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Animal rights groups have lamented the accident and called on the local authorities to carry out a full investigation and force the industry to adopt stricter fire safety measures.
Between 2018 and 2021, nearly 3 million farm animals died in fires in the US. Six fires were responsible for the death of 1.76 million chickens.
