by Authorities have confirmed that six people were found dead at a dairy facility on the Colorado plains, though the cause of their deaths remains unclear.
Emergency Response
The Southeast Weld Fire Protection District said rescue teams entered a confined space at the dairy on Wednesday evening and discovered the victims. Officials were first alerted around 6 p.m. on August 20 after receiving reports of multiple individuals unaccounted for at the facility.
The dairy is located on a rural road outside Keenesburg, about 35 miles northeast of Denver. The victims’ identities have not yet been released.
Confined Space Hazards
Emergency agencies have consistently referred to the incident as a “confined space emergency.”
- Such spaces often include silos, manure pits, or storage tanks common in agricultural operations.
- They carry extreme risks due to limited airflow, potential toxic gases, or structural hazards.
- Fatalities often occur when safety protocols fail or when multiple workers enter before hazards are addressed.
Early Findings
So far, officials have ruled out foul play.
“We didn’t find anything criminal in nature. It looks like an accident,” said Melissa Chesmore, spokesperson for the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
Chesmore added that the specifics of where and how the victims were found will be part of the state workplace safety investigation.
The Keenesburg Police Department confirmed it did not participate in the response, leaving fire crews and federal safety regulators to handle the incident.
District spokesperson Irene Burke told Denver’s 9News that “crews responded and took appropriate precautions to enter the confined space to perform rescue operations.”
About the Property
County tax records identify the site as Prospect Valley Dairy LLC, registered to an address in Bakersfield, California. The property includes:
- A 32,500-square-foot milking parlor.
- Two free-stall barns, one built in 2017 spanning more than 450,000 square feet, and another added last year at over 100,000 square feet.
Phone messages left for the company were not immediately returned.
Next Steps
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation into the dairy’s safety procedures. The Weld County Coroner’s Office has not yet completed autopsies or publicly identified the victims.
