18 horses killed in Plainfield barn fire

PLAINFIELD, Illinois -- Eighteen horses were killed early Wednesday morning in a barn fire in southwest suburban Illinois, fire officials said.

Firefighters were called to Del Real Stables in the 1100 block of Wheeler Road around 1:15 a.m., Plainfield Deputy Fire Chief Jon Stratton said.

When they arrived, the west side of the barn was fully engulfed by flames and horse owners were trying to rescue their animals. Two people were injured in the process. They were transported to local medical facilities for treatment, officials said.

There were 30 horses in the barn at the time of the fire. The owner of the stable put out an alert on Facebook asking people to help find 11 missing horses that were let out during the fire. By around 7:30 a.m., he said all of the horses had been accounted for.

A total of eighteen horses died in the fire.

The fire spread before crews were able to get it under control around 1:45 a.m., Stratton said. Firefighters from eight nearby towns helped fight the fire. Nearly seven hours later, crews were still dousing hot spots. The barn was a total loss, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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