More than 100 cows are dead after a fire ripped through a barn in the town of Saint-Marcel-de-Richelieu early Tuesday morning.

The farmer was awake and working when he saw the flames coming from the barn around 1 a.m.

The fire destroyed one of the two annexes that housed the animals, said Alexandre Duval, the chief of operations for the Saint-Marcel-de-Richelieu fire department.

He said they were able to save about 140 cows, but about 125 have died.

Duval said the operation was complicated by the fact that firefighters didn't have access to water on the site.

Six neighbouring municipalities provided water by bringing it by truck. Saint-Marcel-de-Richelieu is about 30 kilometres southeast of Sorel-Tracy.

No humans were harmed in the fire. Duval said it's too soon to determine the cause, but foul play is not suspected.

Duval said due the size of the fire, the Sûreté du Québec will lead the investigation.