New details on an early morning fire at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds. The fire destroyed more than two dozen stable units and took the lives of two dogs.

It happened around 6:20 Thursday morning. When firefighters got there they said that the barn was fully engulfed especially in the middle section and flames could be seen as tall as the trees.

"I was sitting there drinking coffee," said Joseph Reynard. "I looked up and everything turned orange."

Reynard lives right behind the stables. He's been living there for about 11 years.

"I thought my neighbors house was on fire," said Reynard. "I got up and looked and saw it was the barn. And I called 911."

18-year-old Anthony Helsley also saw the fire through his window.

"We jolted outside and found that the barn was just engulfed in flames," said Helsley.

Anthony captured pictures on his cellphone. In one you can the barn is a complete ball of fire. In another one you can see how long the fire stretched.

"Never in my life," said Helsley. "Never witnessed a fire like this."

Just to put this fire in perspective for you. There were 42 stable units in the barn. They were able to save 12 of them. The beginning ones and the end ones were left standing, but the middle section completely burnt down.

"The guys saw the smoke as they came from their homes to the fire station, and we saw it when we left the fire house," said Woodstock Fire Department Capt. Phil Hottel. "Flames were 15-20 feet in the air, as tall as light poles, that's how we gauged it."

Only one horse was in the barn at the time of the fire. They were able to get it out and put it in a fenced in area.

"We were lucky there weren't more horses here because there normally are," said Hottel.

Two dogs weren't so lucky.

"This went fast," said Reynard. "It's old and had a lot of straw and hay in it. And it went up fast."

"All the neighbors were out here," said Helsley. "We were all standing in my yard watching because we were amazed that something like this happened."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The barn has been around since the 1920s.

The racing season is just getting started. One person with the fairgrounds says if this fire would have happened a month from now more than a dozen horses could have been in that barn.

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UPDATE: 11:45 a.m. Thursday, 2/14/2013

A TV3 reporter on scene confirms that one horse was in the stable at the time of the fire but was able to get out safely. Meanwhile, two dogs have died in the fire. Fire crews left the scene around 11 a.m.

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UPDATE: 8:10 a.m. Thursday, 02/14/13

Shenandoah County Fire and Rescue says no official report yet if any animals were in the barn/stable at the time.

Check back for updates.

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Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office reports a structure fire at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock.

They say they got calls in around 6:20 a.m. Thursday reporting a barn or stable that caught on fire. Dispatchers say there are homes nearby, yet no update on if they are threatened.

Fire and rescue crews from Shenandoah County are on the scene trying to get the fire under control.

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