Six men — four of them related — died at a dairy farm in Weld County likely due to gas exposure in a confined space. 

One of the victims was a high school student in the Weld County School District RE-9, education authorities said in a statement on Thursday night.

Friday night, the Weld County Coroner’s Office’s identified the victims, which included a father and his three in-laws: Jorge Sanchez Pena, 36, of Greeley; Alejandro Espinoza Cruz, 50, of Nunn;  Oscar Espinoza Leos, 17, of Nunn; Ricardo Gomez Galvan, 32, of Keenesburg; Noe Montanez Casanas, 32, of Keenesburg. and Carlos Espinoza Prado, 29, of Evans.

Southeast Weld Fire District crews were dispatched to the Prospect Valley Dairy in the 32063 Weld County Road 18, just east of Keenesburg, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to authorities.

Responding officers found six people dead and recovered their bodies from the site. The release did not say how they died or what the nature of the dispatch call was.

The news release called it a “dairy accident.”

“Crews responded and took appropriate precautions to enter the confined space to perform rescue operations,” the press release said. “Unfortunately, District personnel recovered six deceased individuals from the space. The District extends its sincere condolences to the families of the victims.”

A spokesperson for Southeast Weld Fire Protection District declined any further comment. Attempts to reach Prospect Valley Dairy officials were unsuccessful.

In its statement, the Weld RE-9 School District said that one of the victims was a Highland High School student. 

“The Weld Re-9 School District is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a Highland High School student in a tragic confinement incident at a local dairy last night,” the statement said. “This tragedy has deeply affected our school district and community.”

The district is making counseling and support services available to students and staff, adding it is “committed” to providing assistance to people in need. 

“Our thoughts are with the student’s family and friends during this difficult time, and we extend our sincere condolences to all who are impacted by this loss,” the district said.

The office is investigating the deaths as possibly being the result of gas exposure in a confined space. 

A GoFundMe account set up by Juan Mendez identified four of the victims. 

“Juan Mendez is identifying his father, George Lopez, and his in-laws, Oscar, Carlos, and Alejandro Espinoza, as four of the six men who died in the Weld County dairy accident Wednesday,” a GoFundMe spokesperson said.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the sudden passing of four beloved individuals Oscar Espinoza, Carlos Espinoza, Alejandro Espinoza, & George Lopez,” the fundraising post. “In the wake of this unimaginable loss, we are coming together as a community to support the families left behind during this incredibly difficult time.”

Mendez could not be reached for comment.

Another victim’s GoFundMe account appeared Friday for Noe Montanez, identified by his friend and coworker Ana Guevara. 

Final causes and the manners of death would be released when autopsies and toxicology results are complete and families have been notified, the coroner said.

Weld County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Melissa Chesmore said her agency didn’t find anything indicating a crime took place, the Associated Press reported.

Citing two unnamed sources from the dairy industry, Denver7 said a worker inside an underground manure pit at the dairy may have accidentally released lethal amounts of toxic gas before five others rushed in to save him.

Prospect Valley Dairy LLC is linked to a principal office in Bakersfield, California, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. A registered agent is listed for the company in Centennial. 

The company was formed in January 2012 and is in good standing, according to the office.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation into the incident, a spokesperson told The Denver Gazette Friday morning. OSHA has six months to complete that investigation and will not release any additional information about the incident until it is complete, the agency said. 

“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the workers who lost their lives at the dairy farm in Keenesburg, Colorado,” the OSHA spokesperson said.

A search of OSHA’s investigation portal did not show any previous investigations into Prospect Valley Dairy. 

The farm is a member of the Dairy Farmers of America.

“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,” the farmer-owned cooperative said in a statement.

The Weld County community is hurting, the county’s commissioners said in a statement Friday. 

“The agricultural community in Weld County, as it is across this country, is strong and full of compassionate, hard-working individuals and families who support each other, especially in difficult times such as this,” the commissioners said. “The Weld County Board of Commissioners extends its sympathy to these families and to our agricultural community.”

Weld County is an “agricultural empire,” the county’s website says, with 2.5 million acres of which 75% is devoted to farming and livestock. The county is Colorado’s leading producer of beef and the state’s leading dairy producer, according to its website.

There are 3,000 farms in Weld County and its agricultural products create more than $1 billion of market value every year.

The Associated Press and Denver Gazette City Editor Dennis Huspeni contributed to this report.