State investigators determined that the April 10 fire at Southfork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, Texas, was caused by an engine fire in the barn’s manure vacuum truck cleaning part.
The Texas panhandle fire set ablaze conspiracy theories by animal welfare organizations as one of the largest and most deadly fires since 2013, ending in 18,000 head of cattle killed and one person critically injured.
According to a State Fire Marshal report, the fire was not the result of an intentional act to cause failure in the engine. On April 24, the investigation was closed.
The fire was first reported at around 7:21 p.m. when first responders began receiving calls saying that employees were trapped in the milking parlor. Multiple news sources reported that a truck worker initially noticed steam coming from the engine compartment.
When he examined the manure hauler closer, he realized that the steam was caused by a fire, and he attempted to drive the hauler out of the barn. After he was unsuccessful in driving the truck out, the worker is reported to have attempted to put the fire out with extinguishers but failed when the fire spread too quickly to contain.
Other reports indicate that the farm had another manure-hauling truck on the previously burned property.
