18,000 Cattle Killed In Texas Dairy Farm Explosion

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It's being described as the deadliest barn fire for cattle.

South Fork Dairy on Monday suffered a catastrophic explosion that sent one person to a Lubbock hospital and killed "upwards" of 18,000 cattle according to NewsChannel10.com. South Fork Dairy is located in Dimmitt, Texas over an hour away from Lubbock.

According to NewsChannel10.com, the Castro County Sheriff said the fire from the explosion spread into a building where cattle are brought before moving them into the milking area.

Sheriff Sal Rivera says the fire from the explosion spread to the building where they haul cattle before bringing them into the milking area and into a holding pen. Because of this, Sheriff Rivera says only a small percentage of cows survived.

“Your count probably is close to that. There’s some that survived, there’s some that are probably injured to the point where they’ll have to be destroyed,” said Castro County Sheriff, Sal Rivera.

According to the Animal Welfare Institute, this fire is by far the deadliest barn fire for cattle overall and the most devastating barn fire in Texas since they began tracking barn fires in 2013.

An investigation continues into the explosion and the cause behind it.