A fire raged through the stable of a horse farm in Bishop early Friday morning killing 18 horses, destroying the barn and causing damages estimated at close to $1 million, authorities said.

The fire at Brookwood Equestrian Center on Union Church Road appears electrical in nature and started in an area of the tack room, a place where equipment is kept and horses are shoed, according to Glenn Allen, a spokesman for the state Insurance and Fire Safety Commission.

The exact cause of the electrical problem is still under investigation, he said.

The fire was reported at 1:36 a.m. by a tenant who lived on the horse farm, Oconee County Fire Chief Bruce Thaxton said. One of the 18 horses did escape the burning barn, but its injuries were so severe it had to be put down, Thaxton said. The farm owners owned some of the horses, but there were at least seven other owners who boarded horses in the stable, according to Allen.

The horses were valued at $600,000, while the barn, truck and a horse trailer were valued at $350,000, Allen said. The fire was devastating to the owners and horse owners, authorities said.

"The fire department got there very quickly, but the whole barn was a complete loss - and 18 horses," said King Howington, who with his wife, Melanie, own the farm. "These horses are very dear to us and the owners."

Howington, who purchased the horse farm about eight years ago, said plans for the future are uncertain.

"We have a smaller farm that wasn't affected, but we don't know what we'll do," he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a representative to the location to help the county determine how to properly dispose of the horses.

The Oconee fire department responded with 28 volunteers and seven tanker trucks that shuttled water to the fire, authorities said.

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