Horse dead, barn destroyed after large fire in Albemarle

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- An Albemarle County horse is dead and a barn is destroyed after a Tuesday night fire.

At about 8:23 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, firefighters with Albemarle County Fire Rescue were called to a property in the 6900 block of Louisa Road for report of a structure fire.

When they arrived, firefighters found a barn that was fully engulfed in flames.

Five animals -- four ponies and one horse -- were inside the barn when it caught fire, per officials. Bystanders were able to rescue the four ponies before firefighters arrived. However, the horse was sadly found dead.

Crews were able to put out the fire in less than an hour.

Spanberger rallies alongside Buttigieg, Bill Nye in Charlottesville as Election Day approaches

The investigation into this incident is ongoing. At this time, the Albemarle County Fire Marshal's Office does not believe this fire to be suspicious in nature.

Albemarle County Fire Rescue thanked the Gordonsville Volunteer Fire Department for its support in responding to this incident.