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More Than 200 Pigs Killed In Devastating Fire At Connecticut Farm

CORNWALL, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- More than 200 pigs have died in a barn fire at a Connecticut farm, but eight Belgian draft horses survived.

The fire at Maple Hill Farm on Cornwall early Tuesday morning remains under investigation but authorities say it appears to be electrical in nature. Flickering lights hanging by the front of the barn may have ignited dry timbers, with the fire fueled by 300 hay bales in a second-floor loft, The Republican American reported.

The fire claimed the lives of 191 piglets and 18 sows.

Farm owners Richard and Gail Dolan say some of the sows were in crates with their litters. After the Dolans freed the horses, they were beaten back by smoke and flames trying to get to the pigs.

Fire Marshal Stanley MacMillan said the animals likely died of smoke inhalation.

The barn was a total loss.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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