TALLMADGE, Ohio -- Crews remain on scene of a barn fire that started Thursday morning.
Fire Chief P.J. Gaffney tells WKYC's Tom Beres that all 15 horses boarded in the barn perished.
Originally It was thought that that the fire started from a space heater that workers were using to try and thaw out frozen pipes. The barn was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
Later Thursday afternoon, a lawyer representing the farm's owner said investigators now believe it's an electrical fire.
Workers attempted to rescue the horses but were turned back by intense flames.
The horses were owned by caretakers and the farm manager.They were too distraught to talk. Four departments worked to control the blaze. A crew remained on the scene to deal with hot spots.
Firefighters battled extreme cold that made the job more difficult.
According to Mayor David Kline, officials received the call of a fire around 11:30 a.m. at the Mindale Farm at 892 East Howe Rd.
"One of the buildings is a total loss, while the other buildings are okay," Kline said.
The farm, has been around for years breeding and raising horses. Some of the horses who perished were kept there 20 years.
WKYC was told that authorities tried to get the horses out.
