A barn north of Courtenay was destroyed by a massive fire early Wednesday morning.

The homeowner of the rural property in Black Creek called in the fire around 2:30 a.m.

“When we got here the whole place was engulfed like there was no chance of anything… if something is in there it’s gone,” said Kevin Mills, a witness, told CTV. 

Fire officials say there were more than a dozen goats and some chickens in the barn at the time. None of them survived.

It’s unknown what started the fire.