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Barn Fire Kills 16 Horses

BRIGHTON, Colo. (CBS4) - An early morning barn fire in Brighton killed 16 horses.

At approximately 1 a.m. on Tuesday a Good Samaritan called 911 about flames at a barn east of Barr Lake along Powhaton Road near 152nd.

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When fire crews from Brighton and Hudson arrived it was too late to save the animals.

"Unfortunately by the time we got here the barn was fully engulfed and there was not much that could be done to save the animals at this point," said Brighton Fire Department spokeswoman Natalie Ridderbos.

An owner of one of the horses told CBS4 his family is deeply upset by the news.

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Brighton police say there are multiple owners of the barn and it was a boarding stable with one horse per stall.

Firefighters worked to put out hot spots at the scene several hours after the main firefight was over.

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(credit: Brighton Fire)

One of the owners of the barn got a phone call about the fire at 1:45 a.m. and rushed to the scene but the horses were already dead by the time he arrived.

"When they got to the scene they were understandable very upset about the horses," said Ridderbos. "But the fire was blazing at that point and there was nothing anyone could do.

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The horses were quarter horses and some of them may have been involved in racing.

Investigators determined the fire started in the southwest corner of the bar near a light and refrigerator. It's not believed to have been intentionally set.

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