Six dead in confined space at Colorado dairy

KEENESBURG, CO - August 22, 2025 – Six people were found dead and recovered during a confined space rescue Thursday evening at Prospect Valley Dairy in Keenesburg, Colorado. Weld County Deputy Chief Coroner Jolene Weiner said the agency would not be releasing the names and ages of the victims until the families have been notified. All six were Hispanic males, she said. Autopsies will be done in the coming days but Weiner said the coroner's office was investigating the "deaths as possibly be the result of a gas exposure in a confined space."

A local school district confirmed one of those dead was a student at Highland High School.

Prospect Valley Dairy was one of two dairies that participated in a renewable natural gas project with a Washington based company. The project used manure from the combined 14,500 head of cows, digesting it in 1-million gallon digesters, removing the CO2, converting it into renewable natural gas and piping it to California. It’s unclear what phase of the project had been completed.

A statement from Dairy Farmers of America said, “We can confirm that a tragic accident occurred on one of our member farms in Keenesburg, Colo., which has resulted in the death of six people. We are deeply saddened by this incident, and our thoughts and most sincere condolences go out to the friends and families of the deceased. At this early stage, we have no further details."

Source: Rachel Gabel