More Than 18,000 Cows Dead After Dairy Fire Explosion In Texas Panhandle

A worker was critically injured and more than 18,000 cattle were killed in a massive explosion Monday at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmit, south of Amarillo. 

Credit: Courtesy of Castro County Sheriff's Office

Story by Jayme Lozano-Carver and Erin Douglas

The Texas Tribune

April 13, 2023

LUBBOCK, TEXAS — More than 18,000 cows died and one farm worker is in critical condition following a dairy farm fire in the Texas Panhandle.

The fire started Monday night at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, about 66 miles south of Amarillo. The Castro County sheriff’s office, along with fire departments from Dimmitt, Hart, and Nazareth, were the first responders to the explosion in the small town of nearly 4,200, according to the sheriff’s office.

One person was trapped inside the dairy farm but was rescued by first responders, according to the sheriff’s office. They were later flown to a Lubbock hospital.

In 2019, Texas authorized the facility to more than double the number of cattle allowed on-site from 11,500 to up to 32,000, according to a permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The state also authorized the facility to increase its manure production by more than 50% in that expanded permit. Wastewater from the facility drains into the Brazos River Basin.

In a statement, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokesperson Victoria Cann said that the agency will ensure that dead livestock and debris are disposed of properly. She said the agency is not aware of any environmental impacts from the explosion.

Castro County is the second-highest milk-producing county in the state and has more than 59,361 cows. According to a United States Department of Agriculture report, the county produced more than 147 million pounds of milk in February.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called the incident devastating but said he was grateful there were no further injuries to workers or loss of human life. He also called for the findings of the investigation to be made public once it is finished.

“This was the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history and the investigation and cleanup may take some time,” Miller said. “There are lessons to be learned and the impact of this fire may influence the immediate area and the industry itself. Once we know the cause and the facts surrounding this tragedy, we will make sure the public is fully informed — so tragedies like this can be avoided in the future.”

The 18,000 cows killed represent just a fraction of the 625,000 dairy cows in Texas. Including beef cows, there are 13 million in the state, according to the Texas Almanac. Large amounts of cattle have died in Texas before. During Winter Storm Goliath in 2015, 35,000 cattle froze to death.

The state fire marshal’s office is conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Disclosure: The Texas Association of Dairymen has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. 

-- end of The Texas Tribune article.

The Associate Press (AP) reported the fire that erupted on a family farm in West Texas on Monday at the South Fork Dairy near Dimmitt, Texas, killed about 18,000 cows that were worth millions of dollars.

USA Today reported, "Castro County Judge Mandy Gfeller, the top executive in the county, estimated South Fork Dairy's losses to be in the tens of millions of dollars. Each cow was worth about $2,000, and the 18,000 who were killed made up 90% of the farm's total herd."

One worker is reported critically injured after being rescued from being trapped inside the farm facility. According to the Castro County Sheriff's Office, no other employees were injured. The Sheriff's Office also said the explosion and fire were likely caused by overheated equipment and would be investigated by state fire marshals, according to the Associated Press.

According to KFDA, a CBS affiliate in Amarillo, Texas, "The fire is believed to have started in a different part of the dairy before spreading to a holding pen where the cows waited to be milked."

 

Castro County Sheriff's Office said, "There's some that survived, there's some that are probably injured to the point where they'll have to be destroyed."  The surviving cows were moved to a different facility on the South Fork farm.

CBS affiliate WCAX reported, "Cattle deaths from the South Fork fire far surpass the cow fatalities two years ago when an upstate New York farm fire claimed the lives of 400. That fire tore through two buildings at the Bubbins Farm in Beekmantown, New York, causing over $3 million in damage,  It took 19 fire departments — including one from Vermont and three from Canada — to contain the blaze."

Texas is America's fourth-largest milk producer, behind Idaho, Wisconsin, and California, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Texas produces more than 7 million tons of milk per year. Dimmitt, Texas, located in the Texas Panhandle, has a population of 4,171 according to the 2020 census. It sits about 50 miles Southwest of Amarillo and 50 miles East of the New Mexico border.

We should all pray for the man who is in the hospital, as well as pray that South Fork Dairy will recover from such a traumatic event.  

Tom Correa