Horses trapped in Bethany barn collapse

Bethany, Conn. (WTNH) - More than a dozen horses are going to be alright after a barn collapse in Bethany Wednesday afternoon.

The animals were trapped when the roof at the SunGold Stables on Hunters Trail in Bethany came crashing down. The woman who owned the barn was inside feeding the horses at the time.

For hours, emergency crews worked non-stop to rescue several horses trapped inside the collapsed barn. Neighbors out shoveling heard the walls come crashing down.

"All of a sudden you just heard a loud crash. It was like an explosion. I heard it. I knew it was something here that went down," Sherman Woodward of Bethany said.

The owner of the barn was inside taking care of the horses when the snow covered roof gave way.

"My sister happened to be in the barn feeding the horses and just saw all the snow overwhelm the roof collapse while she was in it, blew her out of the barn 15-20 feet trapped the horses inside," the owner's brother, Ron DaSilva said.

Firefighters from Bethany, Woodbridge, Prospect, and Seymour combed through the debris to free the animals. Area veterinarians and horse lovers rushed to the scene to help too. Amazingly, the owner wasn't hurt, and the horses suffered only cuts and scrapes. All are expected to be ok.

"The barn is second thought. It's making sure the horses and everybody is safe, which I believe they all are right now. She's getting the horses checked out by all the vets. We are putting them in trailors, and putting them into safe homes."

The owner of the stable can't thank enough all of the people, the firefighters from Bethany and surrounding communities for responding to the emergency, knowing it could have been so much worse.