500 Birds, 4 Dogs, 3 Pigs Die In Gainesville Barn Fire

GAINESVILLE, VA — 500 birds, 4 dogs, and 3 pigs died in a barn fire in Gainesville on Sunday morning, according to the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue. No humans were injured in the blaze, authorities said.

Authorities learned of the fire around 3:40 a.m. on Sunday morning. At that time, units were dispatched to the 15000 block of Lee Highway in Gainesville.

When crews arrived on the scene, the barn was "fully involved" in flames, the fire department said. Firefighters determined that there were animals inside, but they could not be saved due to the intensity of the fire.

The fire department shut down Lee Highway for about 30 minutes on Sunday morning as crews combatted the blaze. The barn was completely destroyed, authorities said.

Officials have not released an exact cause for the fire, though the fire marshal's office said the cause was accidental.

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