Six people were found dead by the Southeast Weld Fire Protection District on August 20 at Prospect Valley Dairy, which is located east of Keenesburg. The district was dispatched to a confined space rescue at the farm at around 6 p.m. yesterday evening.
Crews responded at the dairy and took precautions to enter the confined space to perform rescue operations, according to the district. “Unfortunately, district personnel recovered six deceased individuals from the space,” the district said.
A confined space rescue focuses on withdrawing individuals trapped in hazardous and/or limited-access spaces.
The Weld County Coroner’s Office (WCCO) said that preliminary findings indicate that the deceased individuals may have been exposed to some type of gas.
Nothing criminal in nature was discovered as of August 21, according to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office’s (WCSO) public information officer Melissa Chesmore. WCSO supported the Southeast Weld Fire Protection District in their response to the incident.
Although the victims have not yet been publicly identified, the WCCO told CBS that the “victims have been identified as men, most are adults, although one might be a 17-year-old.”
Investigations into the incident by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are underway.
