Officials: 1 critically injured, thousands of cattle killed in South Fork Dairy explosion in Dimmitt

DIMMITT, Texas (KFDA) - Officials said one person is in critical condition after an explosion last night at South Fork Dairy in Dimmitt.

The Castro County Sheriff’s Office said about 7:21 p.m. on Monday, they received eight calls about an explosion and fire at the Southfork Dairy Farm. More calls said that some of the employees were trapped inside the dairy milking building.

When the Castro County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the dairy farm, they determined only a woman was trapped in the dairy building.

Dimmitt and Hart fire departments located and brought the woman out of the building.

Officials said the woman was treated and was flown to UMC Hospital in Lubbock for further treatment. At last check, the woman remains in critical condition.

All of the other dairy employees were accounted for, officials said.

The Castro County Sheriff has confirmed South Fork Dairy has 60 employees.

The fire spread into the dairy cow holding pens, and an unknown number of dairy cattle were killed by the fire and smoke.

Dimmitt, Hart, and Nazareth fire crews worked to clear the building and extinguish fires. Tulia, Springlake-Earth, Muleshoe, Lamb County, Swisher County, and Bailey County first responders also assisted.

The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire. However, Sheriff Rivera says it likely started from a machine overheating and igniting an explosion.

“The speculation was probably what they call a honeybadger, which is a vacuum that sucks the manure and water out and possibly that it got overheated and probably the methane and things like that ignited and spread out and exploded and the fire,” said Castro County Sheriff Sal Rivera.

Sheriff Rivera says the fire was so large because it likely spread through the insulation of the building. He says the entire dairy may have damage from the smoke and fire.

WARNING: Graphic images below:

Team Coverage of Dimmitt dairy farm explosion

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