CHATHAM TOWNSHIP -- A total of nine horses died but several others were saved after a barn caught fire early Sunday morning southeast of Maple Lake.

The Wright County Sheriff's Office received the 911 call just after 12:30 a.m. that a fire had broken out at a horse ranch at 2187 Bolton Drive Northwest.

Officers arrived at the ranch to find the structure fully engulfed. A passerby and the ranch manager were able to get some of the horses from the burning barn before succumbing to smoke inhalation.

The passerby -- 17-year-old Wyatt Stueven -- and ranch manager 42-year-old Ronald Winget were treated at area hospitals.

Fire crews from Buffalo, Maple Lake and Monticello were able to extinguish the flames before they spread to other buildings.

Officials believe an electrical fire started the blaze, but it remains under investigation.

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