A dairy farm explosion in Texas claimed 18,000 cow lives.

The explosion at South Fork Dairy in Texas this week killed an estimated 18,000 cows and left one person in critical condition. Authorities believe that machinery in the facility may have ignited methane gas, leading to a fire that spread to an area in which cows were held before being taken to a milking area and then into a holding pen. The Washington DC-based Animal Welfare Institute said the death toll of 18,000 cows would be the deadliest barn fire involving cattle since it began keeping statistics in 2013. Between 2018 and 2021, nearly 3 million farm animals died in fire, with 1.76m chickens dying in the six largest fires. The explosion at South Fork Dairy in Texas this week killed an estimated 18,000 cows and left one person in critical condition. Authorities believe that machinery in the facility may have ignited methane gas, leading to a fire that spread to an area in which cows were held before being taken to a milking area and then into a holding pen. The Washington DC-based Animal Welfare Institute said the death toll of 18,000 cows would be the deadliest barn fire involving cattle since it began keeping statistics in 2013. Between 2018 and 2021, nearly 3 million farm animals died in fire, with 1.76m chickens dying in the six largest fires.