About 18,000 cows died in an explosion at a dairy farm in the southern state of Texas , the US authorities announced Thursday, noting that one person was injured.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a statement that the incident is "the most serious ranch fire in Texas history." "It will likely take some time to investigate and prosecute those responsible," he added.

The explosion and fire on Monday night destroyed the "Southfork" dairy farm located near the town of Dimit in the Texas Panhandle region.

Firefighters and police who rushed to the scene found "a person trapped inside." The Castro County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook that the farm worker was rescued and airlifted to a hospital.

Miller confirmed that the source of the explosion and fire was not known and described the incident as "horrific".

"Once we know the cause and the facts surrounding this tragedy, we will make sure to inform the public of all the details to avoid disasters of this kind in the future," he added.

The county sheriff's office, Sal Rivera, told YBS that the manure removal system in the barn could have overheated, noting that the methane gas could "ignite and then spread in explosion and fire."
He confirmed that an investigation had been opened into the incident.