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.

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. Many saw the huge plume of smoke from surrounding towns, and were stunned at the sheer size of the smoke and fire. And there was big, massive black air and it looked like fog in the street. Residents say not only was it extremely unexpected, they were very concerned about the workers at the cattle at South Fork and what it would do to the economy. Graphic Warning: Some people may find these images disturbing. Skip to content.

South fork dairy dimmitt tx

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. The Dimmitt fire, however, was unusual in its scale. Because the farm was enormous — with reportedly 19, cattle, it was among the biggest dairy farms in the country — it killed an order of magnitude more cows than are typically killed in fires, enough to fill 26 football fields, according to a USA Today analysis. For context, the largest number of cows killed in a single fire between and in the US was High death tolls could be more likely in the future as mega-factory farms proliferate, packing ever more animals into cramped warehouse-sized sheds. From to , the number of US farms with 1, or more dairy cows has more than tripled , even as the total number of dairy cows has remained about the same. Barn fires are typically caused by malfunctioning heating or electrical systems, according to the NFPA, and are more common in colder states in the Midwest and Northeast. Fires at large, industrial-scale facilities are particularly concerning because they can wipe out so many animals at once.

Authorities believe it may have overheated, igniting internal gases such as methane.

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,

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. It's a real tragedy. It was the biggest single-incident death of cattle in the country since the Animal Welfare Institute, a Washington-based animal advocacy group, began tracking barn and farm fires in Graphics : How many cows died in dairy fire? That easily surpassed the previous high: a fire at an upstate New York dairy farm that consumed about cows, said Allie Granger, a policy associate at the institute. The Texas fire "is the deadliest fire involving cattle we know of," she said. Castro County, site of the fire, is open prairie land dotted with dairy farms and cattle ranches about 70 miles southwest of Amarillo.

South fork dairy dimmitt tx

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.

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But the warning might have been parked right outside the barn for months. But in an industry that regulates almost everything about the safety and purity of its output — milk — there is no apparent data about accidents, injuries or malfunctions of the equipment that manages its other output. The standard details fire protection and fire safety mitigation measures which can be used in a variety of settings and environments, including barns, stables, animal shelters, and veterinary facilities. Toggle limited content width. Your voice is so important as we look to create a world where all animals are respected and protected. He turned his vehicle around and headed toward the smoke. Retrieved July 23, By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. Dismiss Weather Alerts Alerts Bar. Retrieved April 14, Next Up In Future Perfect. Castro County, Texas , US. About Us. For the following few days, Linzer was put in charge of overseeing the grisly task of disposing of the cow carcasses.

CASTRO COUNTY, Texas — The aroma of cow manure rode the spring breeze, as it always does in this stretch of Texas panhandle, where the wind lifts an endless fog of microscopic particles that infuse every mile with an earthy scent, the smell of business.

It merited no mention in the official report, because at South Fork, it had been planned though not yet built. Expert Connections. Archived from the original on April 18, Authorities believe it may have overheated, igniting internal gases such as methane. Show your support for this important cause and make your voice heard! Telemundo Amarillo. The truck was a specialized marvel that kept the pens and alleys clear — the cows could not leave the barn, but their manure could, several times a day. The trend toward larger CAFOs, defined by the EPA as having 1, or more animals, may mean fewer farms total, activists and analysts said. Residents in Dimmitt say it was hard to miss. The Independent. April 26, Updated: August 1, Brand started South Fork with 8, cows in , a mix of Holstein and Jersey cows, then added 9, the following year, bringing his herd up to 17, cows. To date, the fire that took place on April 10th, is the largest mass death of cows in a single fire across the United States in at least two decades.