ARLINGTON — At least five horses died and four others were injured in a fire on a farm north of Arlington early in the morning of Aug. 9.

The fire was reported at 2:06 a.m. and trapped 10 horses in a barn in the 28400 block of Kunde Road in Bryant.

An estimated 40 firefighters with not only the North County Regional Fire Authority, but also from Arlington, Arlington Heights, Stanwood and Silvana, arrived to find the barn and horse arena in flames.

Two citizens, Jason Roberts and his father-in-law, had already rescued four of the horses before fire crews arrived, and were later treated at a nearby hospital for minor burns and smoke inhalation.

Although Roberts’ family had recently stored new hay in the barn, the Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office has yet to release an official determination of the cause of the fire.

According to Christian Davis, a battalion chief for the North County Regional Fire Authority, firefighters tried to save the rest of the horses, but were driven back by heat and flames.

North County Fire Chief Dale Fulfs confirmed that five horses had died in the initial fire, but could not confirm whether a sixth horse was put down later due to injuries from the fire.

Firefighters remained on the scene for more than 12 hours to put out the fire and help out with the horses.

The damage from the fire is currently estimated at $600,000.

Video from KOMO4 News