LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL) -- Nine horses were killed in an early morning fire on Carmel Drive Wednesday.

According to fire investigator Alton Trahan with the Lafayette Fire Dept., firefighters responded to a barn on fire at 4:10 a.m.

When they arrived, Trahan said flames and smoke were coming from the roof and the sides of the barn.

Firefighters tried to get inside, but the fire was too intense, Trahan said. It took 15 minutes to get the fire under control, Trahan said.

The owner of the barn said she tried to get the horses out. She leased stalls in the barn to different owners, Trahan said.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Trahan said, but heavy lightning in the area was reported and has not been ruled out.

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