AMARILLO – The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office has ruled the fire and explosion that killed thousands of cows in the Texas Panhandle an accident, according to media reports.
“This was a tragic accident that unfortunately critically injured one person and caused the death of over 17,000 cattle,” the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a press release.
Castro County Sheriff’s Office and multiple fire departments responded to the incident on April 10 at the Southfork Dairy Farm near Dimmitt, a city between Lubbock and Amarillo.
Only a small percentage of animals lived, and the owner placed those surviving cows in a nearby facility.
KVII added that the farm was less than a year old and had no previous fires.
Investigators later confirmed the fire was caused due to failure of a piece of equipment used within the dairy daily, reported KFDA.
KFDA said the operator could not control the fire with fire extinguishers as the equipment spread extremely flammable liquid, leading to the explosion.
Although the incident was considered an accident, officials and experts will continue to investigate the reason for the equipment failure.