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 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.

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. Chicken factory farms can house hundreds of thousands or even millions of animals each year, so a single fire at one of these facilities can account for the majority of barn fire deaths in a year.

Brand, 63, had a string of farming properties that stretched to the middle of the state. 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, south fork dairy dimmitt tx, and veterinary facilities.

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.

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.

South fork dairy dimmitt tx

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. As dusk descended on the South Fork Dairy on April 10, workers busied themselves with the evening shift. Some refilled hay bins. Others checked on pregnant cows or hosed down equipment. Extracting 24 semi-truck loads of milk from 17, cows daily requires a round-the-clock operation, but the crew would not be hindered by the gathering dusk. The vast barn stood at 2 million square feet, larger than two Amazon fulfillment centers end over end, a footprint almost twice the size of the Pentagon.

Noey yanisa

The Wrap Up. The animals were trapped inside the burning factory and only a few survived. 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. Foster disagreed with the premise that digesters are incentivizing dairies to grow bigger and, potentially, more prone to large-scale accidents. The April fire was not the first time a manure vacuum truck caught fire at South Fork Dairy. Gray TV. Digital Marketing. Viewers Choice Awards Sod Poodles Baseball. 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. Late last year, Sen. Extracting 24 semi-truck loads of milk from 17, cows daily requires a round-the-clock operation, but the crew would not be hindered by the gathering dusk. The rapid pace of biogas digesters appearing on farms prompted a group of U.

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.

He was part of a growing trend. The explosion could be seen for miles, including in several surrounding towns. By December, a tour of South Fork revealed a burned-out, half-demolished barn; blackened ceilings; piles of discarded insulation. Share your feedback to help improve our site! First Alert Experience. Just then, a team from the Dimmitt Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene. The truck scraped noisily as it sucked manure into its large holding tank, which would later be emptied into a nearby lagoon. The Oscars Supreme Court Winter warming. How dangerous is New York City, anyway? Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U. Meat, dairy, and egg producers themselves could implement relatively straightforward reforms to prevent fires, according to Granger: conduct proactive fire safety inspections alongside fire officials and experts, ensure equipment is routinely checked and maintained, and institute worker training and emergency planning. He imagined a small hay fire in a remote corner of the property. Programming Schedule. 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. There were about 19, cows on the site, according to reports.