South fork dairy dimmitt tx

The explosion, which caused a massive fire and smoke plume, took responders hours to bring it under control. The explosion could be seen for miles, including in several surrounding towns.

An explosion and fire at a dairy farm on Monday in the Texas panhandle has been called the deadliest cattle barn fire ever recorded: it left one worker in critical condition and killed 18, cows. The cause of the fire, which occurred at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, 75 miles northwest of Lubbock, is still under investigation by the state fire marshal. Fires on large-scale animal farms, or factory farms, are surprisingly common. Over the last decade, at least 6. Disease outbreaks , too, result in mass death or culling on farms.

South fork dairy dimmitt tx

The explosion and subsequent fire killed approximately 18, cows and injured one person. It was one of the deadliest fires involving animals, and the deadliest fire involving cattle in at least a decade. The county is the second largest dairy-producer in the United States, with more than ,, pounds 67,, kg of dairy being produced in February , according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The facility encompassed an area more than 2,, square feet , m 2. Local police stated that they received eight calls of the incident just before p. CST on April 10, After an initial explosion, a fire broke out which spread swiftly across an area of holding pens. Thousands of cattle were packed together in tight conditions in the pens; as a result, the vast majority of them were killed. Though callers feared that multiple employees were trapped, only one woman needed rescuing. She was flown to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. She stated that the financial losses, excluding the destruction of equipment and buildings, could amount to tens of millions of dollars. Shortly after the fire, Sal Rivera from the Castro County Sheriff 's Office said that the explosion could have been caused by a machine known as the " honey badger ," which he described as a "vacuum that sucks the manure and water out". Authorities believe it may have overheated, igniting internal gases such as methane. Additional speculation included the possibility that the barns might have been fitted with non-fire-resistant insulation that would have enabled the explosion to ignite a fire that would spread across the 40 acres 16 ha facility.

The explosion as pictured by Castro County Emergency Management. AP An explosion and fire at a dairy farm on Monday in the Texas panhandle has been called the deadliest cattle barn fire ever recorded: it left one worker in critical condition and killed 18, cows, south fork dairy dimmitt tx.

More than a week has passed since a large-scale fire that broke out at South Fork Dairy killed between 17,, dairy cows in Dimmitt, Texas. Questions and hypotheses about the cause of the explosion continue to swirl in the public space, but while the authorities look for answers, the dairy industry needs to consider if it is doing enough to promote fire prevention. According to the charitable body, the South Fork Dairy fire is the deadliest since records began. In the last 10 years, AWI estimates that nearly 6. The numbers are likely to be higher, however, as only reported fires form part of the statistics. Even so, the data highlights just how devastating the Dimmitt fire has been. But what does American law mandates when it comes to the fire safety of farmed animals?

The fire that killed 18, dairy cows in a West Texas farm has been extinguished and the staggering death count revealed. Typically, dead farm animals — even scores of them, such as those killed in the wake of hurricanes or blizzards — can be buried, hauled to landfills or even composted, said Saqib Mukhtar, an associate dean at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension and a cattle disposal expert. But the sheer number of carcasses in this incident makes the task monumental, he said. More: 18, cows killed in explosion, fire at Texas dairy farm may be largest cattle killing ever. Officials have not said what method of disposal they will use in the case of the South Fork farm disaster. Video footage from local television stations showed front-loaders entering and exiting the pens where an estimated 18, cattle — a mix of Holstein and Jersey cows — perished during a fire Monday evening at the South Fork Dairy farm near Dimmitt, Texas, around 70 miles southwest of Amarillo.

South fork dairy dimmitt tx

The fire spread quickly through the holding pens, where thousands of dairy cows crowded together waiting to be milked, trapped in deadly confines. A dairy farm worker rescued from inside the structure was taken to a hospital and was in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday. There were no other human casualties.

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The Federation highlighted that since dairies need to comply with differing state and local regulations across the US, FARM defers to those regulations. Photo via Castro County Emergency Management. His heart leaped. Together, we can work towards a more humane and sustainable future for all animals. Deutsche Welle. Skip to content. Something went wrong. Share on Pinterest. Perched in the Texas High Plains, the county sits on an ocean of yellow prairie grass stretching to each horizon and punctuated by the occasional farmhouse, grain silo or towering wind turbine. Eco-friendly by stealth? Late last year, Sen. Before pm CST.

An explosion and fire at a dairy farm on Monday in the Texas panhandle has been called the deadliest cattle barn fire ever recorded: it left one worker in critical condition and killed 18, cows. The cause of the fire, which occurred at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, 75 miles northwest of Lubbock, is still under investigation by the state fire marshal. Fires on large-scale animal farms, or factory farms, are surprisingly common.

When she emerged, smoke and flame had engulfed the building and she locked herself back into the bathroom. According to his statement, the explosion killed approximately 18, head of cattle and critically injured one female worker, who had been trapped inside a building after the explosion and is now being treated at a hospital in Lubbock. The Dimmitt fire, however, was unusual in its scale. Sky News. Fires are all too common on factory farms , where large numbers of animals are confined in close proximity. Rivera and others took turns urging her to come out, but she was confused and scared. Email This Link. He imagined a small hay fire in a remote corner of the property. Farm workers parked the scorched truck east of the barn. Some squatted on the dirt and cried. Since the launch of a campaign against restaurant chain Denny's, concerned consumers are calling for an end to animal cruelty through nationwide protests. Archived from the original on April 18,