LUBBOCK – State investigators have determined that a fire and explosion at a Panhandle dairy farm was an accident and started with an engine fire on a manure vacuum truck that was cleaning part of the barn.
The April 10 fire at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, about 66 miles southwest of Amarillo, killed nearly 18,000 cows and left one person injured. A report by the state fire marshal’s office found there was “no intentional act to cause the failure” but did not determine the cause of the engine fire.
The findings, which were first reported by the Associated Press, noted that the dairy farm had a second manure truck on the property outside the barn, and a dairy manager told investigators that there had also been previously burned Investigators found burn marks near the engine compartment that were consistent with the truck fire inside the barn.
Investigators and the dairy manager waited until the next day to enter the facility due to poor visibility at night when the fire started, the threat of the building collapsing and stray cattle injured
The researchers note in the report that the structure had only been in use for two and a half years and that the 17,500 cattle housed in the dairy were milked 24 hours a day. The investigators also allowed the dairy workers to move the injured cattle and assured them that it would not impede the outcome of the investigation.
The Animal Welfare Institute, which tracks barn fires, said it was the deadliest barn fire involving livestock since 2013. Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office investigators previously stated that the fire started as an accident and that the explosion was the result of flammable liquids, including liquid fuel, hydraulic oil and other “rapidly expanding” materials. The fire investigation is now closed.
The Texas Tribune previously reported that the massive dairy operation was authorized by the state to more than double the number of cattle allowed on the site in 2019, from 11,500 to 32,000. The state also authorized the facility to increase its manure production by more than 50% in the same permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Dimmitt, located in Castro County, has a population of 4,200. The county is the second largest milk producing county in the state and has over 59,361 cows.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune.
