Large Texas dairy farm blaze brought on by engine hearth in manure hauler

DIMMITT, Texas — A hearth and explosion at a dairy farm within the Texas Panhandle that injured one particular person and killed an estimated 18,000 head of cattle was an accident that began with an engine hearth in a manure vacuum truck cleansing a part of the large barn, in line with state investigators.

A State Hearth Marshal report of the April 10 hearth on the Southfork Dairy Farm about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Amarillo didn’t decide what precipitated the engine hearth, however discovered there was “no intentional act to trigger a failure.” The April 24 report stated the investigation was closed.

A employee driving the truck by way of a bit of the two million-square-foot barn instructed investigators he seen what he first thought was steam coming from the engine compartment. He tried to drive out of the barn when he realized it was a fireplace, however could not make it.

The motive force stated he tried to place out the fireplace with two extinguishers however failed. A number of different workers instructed investigators they rushed to assist, however the hearth rapidly unfold.

The report famous the dairy farm had a second manure hauling truck on the property exterior of the barn. A dairy supervisor instructed investigators it too had beforehand burned. The report famous burn marks close to the engine compartment in line with the truck hearth contained in the barn.

Based on the Animal Welfare Institute, the variety of cattle killed made the incident the deadliest barn hearth involving cattle recorded because the group started monitoring barn fires in 2013.