Horses inside a Fargher Lake area barn were killed in a fire that was started by downed power lines.
Crews with Clark County Fire District 10 responded to the blaze at 15109 N.E. 369th St. at about 9:50 p.m. Thursday.
“We saw it before we arrived,” Batallion Chief Gordon Brooks said. “You could see the glow from probably a mile away.”
Arriving crews instantly saw what caused the blaze – a tree had fallen down across the roadway and downed power lines, Brooks said.
“It had knocked down a power pole, broke it off and power lines went across the roof of the barn, and we believe started it on fire,” he said.
By the time crews arrived the 7,200-square-foot barn was engulfed in flames and the roof was starting to collapse, Brooks said.
Two adult occupants of the house on the property were burned while trying to save the horses inside and were taken to an area hospital for treatment, Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Susan Anderson said.
Two horses inside the barn died in the blaze, she said.
Firefighters contained the blaze within about an hour and remained on scene until about 2:15 a.m., Brooks said.
Anderson said the investigation showed the fire was caused by a significant event at the building’s electrical panel and power supply wiring after the tree fell.
The barn was destroyed and damage to the structure and contents was estimated at about $250,000, Anderson said.