A devastating explosion occurred at South Fork Dairy near Dimmitt in Castro Country, West Texas, resulting in the death of over 18,000 cows, making it the most deadly blaze for livestock in the US to date. The number of cattle killed is nearly three times the amount typically slaughtered every day across the United States. One person was critically injured in the incident. Mayor of Dimmitt, Roger Malone, expressed his shock and described the situation as a “real tragedy.”
Officials believe that the machinery malfunctioned and may have ignited methane gas, which caused the fire. County Judge Mandy Gfeller stated that investigations are ongoing to determine the real cause of the explosion. The fire was extinguished the following day after it quickly spread through the holding pens, where thousands of dairy cows were waiting to be milked. A dairy farm worker was rescued and taken to hospital, where they were listed in critical but stable condition. Fortunately, there were no other human casualties.
Photos circulating on social media showed a large plume of black smoke coming out of the facility. Sheriff Sal Rivera reported that most of the cattle were lost in the blaze, and the investigators believe that the fire may have started with a machine called “honey badger,” which sucks the manure and water out.
He explained that the machine could have overheated and caused the methane to ignite and spread, leading to the explosion.
The 18,000 cows that died represent 90% of the farm’s total herd, and each cow is valued at around $2,000. This incident may impact milk production in the state, as Castro County is the second-highest milk-producing county in Texas, with 15 dairies producing about 67,000 kg of milk a month, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Texas is the fourth-largest milk producer, with approximately 625,000 cows producing almost 7.5 billion kilos of milk a year, according to the Texas Association of Dairymen.
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