6 horses killed in barn fire in unincorporated Harvard, officials say

UNINCORP. HARVARD, Ill. (WLS) -- A barn fire in McHenry County killed six horses late Sunday night, officials said.

The Harvard Fire Protection District was dispatched to the 19100-block of Crowley Road in unincorporated Harvard just before midnight.

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Family members of people who live at the property told ABC7 that the horses lost in the barn fire were their personal horses. They said they do not know what caused the fire.

On Monday afternoon, only a smoldering pile of what was once a 300 square-foot pole barn remains.

The Harvard Fire Protection District says when the initial 911 call came in, the caller indicated the fire had fully taken over the barn.

ABC7 is told that firefighters arrived within 10 minutes of the call and found one barn on fire, with the flames moving closer to a much larger barn next door.

After about an hour, fire officials said, the fire was contained. No people were injured, but six horses located inside the barn did not survive.

The rural location proved challenging. Fire crews used water tenders and portable tanks, and in all, more than one dozen neighboring fire departments responded to help.

Burned to the ground, the barn is a complete loss. More than the building itself, however, neighbors said the loss of the horses is devastating.

ABC7 spoke with family members of the people who live on the property, but the owners declined to talk, only saying that the horses were theirs.

Officials said there is no early indication of what caused this barn to catch fire, and the Harvard Fire Protection District is investigating the cause.