New York firefighters die while working on a cattle farm in an accident involving a slurry tanker

Two off-duty New York City firefighters tragically drowned when they fell into a manure tank on a cattle ranch, authorities said.

Firefighters Tyler Memory, 29, of Tully, and Nathan Doody, 33, of DeRuyter, both died Thursday (June 13) while operating manure trucks at Champion Farms – their regular jobs when they weren’t working at their respective fire departments. It is known that one person fell in first and the other tragically fell in during a rescue attempt.

Apparently they were overwhelmed by the toxic fumes escaping from the tank after a firefighter attempted to “recover a piece of equipment that had fallen into the tanker” before losing consciousness and slipping inside. However, it is not clear who fell first.

READ MORE: 28 people rescued after being stuck upside down 30 metres above ground in an amusement park

READ MORE: Friend of second missing US tourist on Greek island shares eerie details

According to investigators, the second man also lost consciousness and fell in while trying to help his colleague. The men were found unconscious in the tank by their colleagues, who called the authorities around 11 a.m.

The farm is located in Kirkland, New York, less than 50 miles (80 km) east of Syracuse, New York

As an emergency response, two rescue helicopters were dispatched directly to the scene, and teams from the Clinton Fire Department, Mercy Flight and COVAC Ambulance provided assistance. Unfortunately, both men succumbed to their injuries later that day, despite being taken directly to Wynn Hospital in Utica, the Daily Mail reported.

The Farm Safety Association warns that decomposing manure can release various gases such as methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide, which are fatal in high concentrations. The statement said: “Toxic or poisonous reactions in humans or animals, oxygen deprivation which can lead to asphyxiation, and explosions which can occur when oxygen mixes with gases such as methane. Hydrogen sulphide is considered the most dangerous byproduct of manure decomposition.”

Memory, a third-generation firefighter, dedicated 15 years to the Tully Joint Fire Department, beginning his service at the tender age of 14, said Assistant Chief Joe Nemier. Doody volunteered for a decade with the Cuyler Fire Department in Cortland County.

The fire departments where these two dedicated men served and their families mourn the heartbreaking loss of individuals who made significant contributions to their community, including through their work at Champions Farm, a historic cattle and dairy operation founded in the early 1800s in Clinton, 250 miles northwest of Manhattan.

Tragically, this incident is not an isolated case. In 2016, the BBC reported on the death of a farmer and 13 cows due to exposure to methane or sulphur oxide in a large slurry tank.

In Iowa, a father and his son were killed by toxic fumes from a pig manure pit.