A massive explosion in Texas that killed £28million worth of cows may have ignited from the 18,000 gassy animals' FARTS.
South Fork Dairy farm in Dimmitt, US, suffered the deadliest cattle fire ever in US history on Monday which left thousands of cows dead and one worker in a critical condition in hospital.
And now investigators believe a machinery malfunction on the farm may have been ignited by methane gas, which is released by cows when they burp or fart.
The devastating fire then tore through the holding pens where the cows were waiting to be milked at around 7.20pm.
Sheriff Sal Rivera said: "Possibly [it] got overheated and probably the methane and things like that ignited and spread out and exploded."
It was nearly three times the amount of cows slaughtered each day in the US.
Castro County Sheriff Sal Rivera said: "There’s some that survived, there’s some that are probably injured to the point where they’ll have to be destroyed."
Fire fighters rushed to the scene to try and bring the blaze under control after residents reported huge clouds of smoke.
The smoke could be seen for miles and left many shutting their windows on the advice of emergency services.
Renzo Sullivan was chilling at his house when he heard a huge "boom" which left him stunned.
He told News Channel 10: "It was lowkey, crazy to hear about because we were just chilling and then we just heard a boom. Then we look in the distance and there’s just a big cloud."
The Animal Welfare Institute, an animal advocacy organisation, said it is the largest single-incident death of cattle since they started tracking barn fires in 2013.
Policy associate Allie Granger said: "In the past, we have seen fires involving several hundred cows at a time, but nothing anything near this level of mortality.
"It is hard to imagine anything worse than being burned alive."
Dimmitt resident Renzo Sullivan said the loss of cows will be devastating as many livelihoods depend on the farm - with the cows valued around $2,000 (£1,500) each.
He said: “It is kind of painful because it’s like that’s kind of what we do here, and that’s how we get our money for like the city and all that. So that’s just a major drop for us.”
With the dairy farm bringing in millions of dollars, the loss of milk will also be devastating, according to local resident Alex Aguilar.
He said: “I don’t think it’s ever happened before around here. It’s a real tragedy.
"This is the deadliest fire involving cattle we know of. In the past, we have seen fires involving several hundred cows at a time, but nothing anything near this level of mortality."
Dimmitt Mayor Roger Malone called the fire “mind-boggling" and a "real tragedy" for the community.
Castro County Judge Mandy Gfeller told CNN the loss will be "devastating" to the community.
He said: "This is a devastating loss that will impact many.
"While the loss of so many animals and property is devastating I am so thankful that there was no loss of human life. I am praying for restoration for South Fork Dairy."
