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An explosion and fire at a dairy factory in the southern United States killed at least 18,000 cattle and seriously injured a worker, authorities said April 13, in the worst tragedy of its kind in a decade.
The events occurred last Monday at the Southfork Dairy Farms facilities in the city of Dimmitt, Castro County, Texas. The United States is one of the world’s largest producers of milk.
Some details of the tragedy have just been released. According to the Castro County Sheriff’s Office, one person – a local worker – was trapped during the incident but was rescued by firefighters and taken to the hospital.
“Texas was dealt a tragic blow the night of April 10, when an explosion at an upstate dairy farm killed approximately 18,000 cattle and seriously injured a farm worker,” the Texas Department of State Commissioner said in a statement Thursday. of State Agriculture, Sid Miller.
The official reported that the facts surrounding the tragedy are still unknown and that the causes are being investigated. The impact of the fire “may influence the immediate area and the industry itself,” he added.
“This was the deadliest farm fire for cattle in Texas history and investigation and cleanup may take some time,” Miller said.
Castro County Sheriff Sal Rivera told the CBS affiliate in the city of Amarillo that a system for removing manure from stables may have “overheated.”
He explained that perhaps the methane may have “ignited and then spread with the explosion and fire.”
According to the NGO Animal Welfare Institute, this is the deadliest incident in at least a decade, when they began to formally record this type of event.
“Farms must do more to protect animals by adopting fire safety measures,” he said on his Twitter account.
