Various news outlets are reporting an explosion at a Texas dairy farm have critically injured one person and killed more than 10,000 head of cattle April 10. The Southfork Dairy Farm is located southeast of Dimmitt, Texas.
Reports indicate the Castro County Sheriff’s office started receiving calls about an explosion at the dairy just before 7:30 p.m., April 10. Callers indicated there were employees possibly trapped inside the milking parlor. Other reports indicated the smoke plume could be seen from 80 miles away.
According to the Castro County Sheriff’s office information posted online, responding deputies arrived at the farm and determined only one person was inside the building, the report said. All other employees were accounted for. Officials said the trapped individual was rescued from the building and airlifted to UMC Hospital in Lubbock for treatment.
One news outlet reports it is not confirmed if an explosion started the fire or a piece of equipment that caught on fire and quickly spread. The building that was on fire was a cross ventilated barn, which is typically large and has hundreds of fans. That also means it’s possible the large cloud of smoke was created from the hundreds of fans within the barn blowing out smoke.
According to AgDay and U.S. Farm Report Lubbock affiliate KJTV, details are still limited about what caused the possible explosion, but Aero-care was on the scene. The Castro County Sheriff also confirmed one woman was transported to a Lubbock hospital.
