DIMMITT, Texas – A massive fire and explosion occurred at a dairy farm in the Texas Panhandle on April 10th, resulting in one person being injured and approximately 18,000 cattle being burned alive.
State investigators have determined that the incident was an accident, originating from an engine fire in a manure vacuum truck that was being used to clean a section of the large barn.
The State Fire Marshal’s report stated that the cause of the engine fire could not be determined, but no deliberate actions were found to have caused the failure.
According to the truck driver who was operating the vehicle inside the 2 million-square-foot barn, he initially noticed what appeared to be steam coming from the engine compartment. When he realized it was actually a fire, he attempted to drive the truck out of the barn but was unsuccessful.
The driver attempted to extinguish the fire using two fire extinguishers but was unable to control it. Other employees rushed to help, but the fire rapidly spread throughout the barn.
The report mentioned that the dairy farm had another manure hauling truck located outside the barn, which had previously experienced a fire. Burn marks near the engine compartment of the second truck supported the findings of the fire investigation conducted within the barn.
The investigation into the incident has been closed.
