MODESTO (Courtesy of KMJ's News Partner – CBS13 Sacramento) – It's a difficult time for the owner of three horses killed when a barn went up in flames Friday night.
Ignacio Rios says the horses were like family to him. Saturday, he had to lay them to rest.
“That’s him,” Rios said as he scrolled through photos.
Rios was out of town when he got the call that his barn was on fire.
Video captured at the scene shows the flames ripping through the Modesto barn where three of his horses were stuck inside.
“When I start thinking, I just block how they suffered,” Rios said. “I wish somebody stole them, or they died of colic, because that’s very natural things horses die [of].”
One of those horses was “Splendido,” Rios’ longtime and favorite companion.
Rios spent a lot of time with the horses, which were show animals used in parades and dances.
“My wife always complains,” Rios said.
Splendido was an Andalusian horse. They nicknamed him “Morro” because he had a dark coat when he was younger.
At the time of the fire, Rios says Splendido was stuck in the stable
“He broke his hooves, his front legs, because he was trying to get out,” Rios said.
Saturday, a charcoal skeleton was all that remained of the barn.
“And I lost all my tools,” Rios said.
Rios says friends and neighbors rushed to the fiery scene Friday night and were able to save other horses and animals, and for that he is thankful. But Rios says the loss of his horses – especially Splendido – is hard for him to digest.
“Right now, I feel like I’m numb.”
Investigators say the fire was accidental, but have not determined a cause yet.
