Nearly 20,000 cows killed in explosion at Texas dairy farm

DIMMITT COUNTY, TEXAS. (NBC) - One person is in critical condition, and nearly 20,000 cows are believed to have been killed in an explosion and fire at a dairy farm in the Texas panhandle earlier this week.

The explosion happened at the Southfork Dairy Farm near Dimmitt, Texas Monday night.

One worker was trapped inside the milking facility and was hospitalized in critical condition after being rescued by first responders.

No other injuries were reported.

While the exact number of cows killed in the fire has not been confirmed, preliminary counts indicate 18,000 of the 19,000 cows present at the farm were killed by fire and smoke.

The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed, although officials speculate that methane may have been ignited by overheated electrical equipment used to suck out waste from the holding pens.

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