LAKEWOOD — Four horses were killed on site, and another later died, from injuries suffered in a Lakewood fire overnight.
Mike Murphy, a spokesman for West Metro Fire Protection District, said a passerby reported the blaze, located near West 3rd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, around 3 a.m. Monday.
When crews arrived on scene, they found a large body of fire and smoke, some flames shooting 50- to 60-feet high in the still morning air. It took firefighters about an hour to get the upper hand.
Murphy said the fire burned a residential home and horse stall on a mixed-use property, where eight horses were being boarded. Three horses escaped uninjured.
A woman lives in the home, Murphy said, and no people were injured in the fire. The horse stall was reduced to a pile of charred rubble.
Crews said the horse stall had a large amount of hay on hand, and preliminary investigation indicates that’s where the fire started.
A nearby commercial building sustained damage to its south end when the fire spread.
Crews from Denver and West Metro Fire responded to the blaze. Flames were visible from as far away as West Colfax Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, Murphy said.
An investigation is under way into what caused the fire.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or
