Huge Farm Fire In Texas Kills More Than 18,000 Cows, Calls For Federal Laws Grow

Though, the cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities believe that machinery in the facility may have ignited methane gas

The fire has prompted calls from animal protection groups for federal laws to prevent barn fires

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A fire and an explosion at a family dairy farm in west Texas has killed more than 18,000 cows. The blaze that took place at the South Fork Dairy farm near Dimmitt on Monday is said to be the deadliest such barn fire on record in the United States, reported Reuters.

As the blaze spread quickly through the holding pens, where thousands of dairy cows crowded together waiting to be milked, an employee of the farm trapped inside was rescued by firefighters, according to the statement by the Castro County Sheriff's Office.

Though, the cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities believe that machinery in the facility may have ignited methane gas, the BBC reported.

Speaking to local news outlet KFDA, Sheriff Sal Rivera said that most of the cattle had been lost after the blaze spread to an area in which cows were held before being taken to a milking area and then into a holding pen.

"There's some that survived," he was quoted as saying. There's some that are probably injured to the point where they'll have to be destroyed," said Sheriff Rivera, according to BBC.

The fire has prompted calls from animal protection groups for federal laws to prevent barn fires which kill hundreds of farm animals each year.

However, there are a few states that have adopted fire protection codes for such buildings, according to Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), which is among the oldest US animal protection groups in the United States.

AWI also said that if confirmed the death toll of 18,000 cows would be the deadliest barn fire involving cattle since it began tracking such incidents in 2013.

"We hope the industry will remain focused on this issue and strongly encourage farms to adopt common sense fire safety measures. It is hard to imagine anything worse than being burned alive," said Allie Granger, policy associate for AWI's farm animal program to BBC.