BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — A Bartow County community is dealing with a sudden tragedy after a fire killed numerous horses early Saturday morning.
A family member of the owner of the property who was still on the scene surveying the damage told 11Alive's Elwyn Lopez that 19 horses died during the fire around 4 a.m. on Secretariat Road. A spokesperson for the fire department later confirmed the number adding that only a pony made it out of the flames alive.
The man, who declined to give his name, said his son had just arrived back from an out-of-town trip to Michigan.
Bartow County Battalion Chief Darrell Abernathy said on the phone that there was also an apartment inside the barn and that a man there at the time of the fire was able to get out with a poney and at least one dog.
A neighbor in the area said her daughter heard noise from the barn around 4 or 5 a.m. and added that she and her daughter often enjoyed riding through the area and seeing the horses.
At this time, authorities are still investigating what caused the fire, though officials believe it started in a shed outside the main barn. Check back for updates as they become available.
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