By DAN CAMPANA

dcampana@kcchronicle.com

KANEVILLE - As Dave Nelson raced in his truck toward Epona Farm's burning 40,000-square-foot barn Tuesday, he dialed 911 to alert firefighters.

Nelson said he told a Kane County sheriff's dispatcher about the fast-moving fire at the horse farm that neighbors his property off Francis Road.

He gave the dispatcher his own fire number, an address used in rural areas, because he did not know the one for Epona, Nelson said. In just those few seconds, problems arose.

"The dispatch lady said she could not dispatch (firefighters) without a fire number," Nelson said.

A frustrated Nelson, one of the first to report the fire, hung up his phone and approached the barn to see what he could do. The blaze, which started around 5 p.m., quickly destroyed the barn and stable area, killing as many as 33 horses that had been boarded at the facility.

When officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives learned about the 911 call, they called on the Kane County Sheriff's Office to investigate, Special Agent Don Sorrano said.

Kane County Sheriff Ken Ramsey declined to comment Friday.

ATF agents, along with members of the Kane County Fire Investigation Task Force, the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office and the Elburn and Kaneville fire departments, still are investigating the fire's cause, Sorrano said Friday.

ATF officials believe that the fire started inside the barn, but did not specify a point of origin.

"Right now, it's still considered undetermined," Sorrano said.

Investigators want to have a cause by early next week. Nothing has been ruled out as a possible cause.

Early damage estimates are between $600,000 and $1 million, officials said.

The investigation is hampered by a lack of physical evidence because of the level of destruction caused by the fire, Sorrano said.

As of Friday, more than 40 people associated with Epona Farm - including owner Dora Christensen, employees and boarders - have been interviewed.

"Basically, everyone (Christensen) has done business with or had contact with," Sorrano said.

-- Nothing ruled out as investigation begins

By DAN CAMPANA

dcampana@kcchronicle.com

KANEVILLE -- Carolyn Sprague returned Wednesday to Epona Farm to find only smoldering ruins where a barn and stable once stood.

About 12 hours earlier, Sprague had been in the stable with her 20-year-old Canadian thoroughbred. Shortly after Sprague left the 40,000-square-foot barn Tuesday, it was engulfed in flames that destroyed everything inside.

"If I would have stayed to bathe him, I could have saved him and maybe one more," said Sprague, of Sycamore. "This is just our worst nightmare."

The fast-moving blaze killed 32 horses, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials said -- including Sprague's. However, the Epona Farm Web site said that 33 horses were killed.

With tears in their eyes and pictures in their hands, those who boarded their horses at Epona descended upon the farm Wednesday to console one another.

Firefighters from eight Kane County departments -- Kaneville, Elburn, Burlington, Sugar Grove, Maple Park, Big Rock, Hampshire, Hinckley, Pingree Grove and North Aurora -- were called about 5 p.m. Tuesday to fight the blaze at 1N806 Francis Road between Route 38 and Keslinger Road.

Kaneville Deputy Fire Chief Dan Koebele estimated that more than 100,000 gallons of water, brought in by tankers, were used to douse the flames. He described the fire as "by far" the largest one handled in his 20 years with the department.

A neighbor report the fire to 911. One horse was evacuated, investigators said.

"There was no way to get near it to do any rescues," Koebele said, adding that the horses were secured within their stalls. "They probably didn't have much of a chance."

On Wednesday, federal and local investigators sifted through smoky piles of scorched hay and building remnants in search of the fire's cause. Amid the rubble, yellow flags marked where remains of the horses had been found.

ATF officials believe the fire started inside the barn, but did not specify a point of origin. The investigation could take weeks.

"Every fire in the beginning is suspicious ... until you pinpoint how it started," ATF Special Agent Don Sorrano said.

Sorrano said investigators from ATF and Kane County Fire Investigation Task Force would work to rule out particular factors as causes. Electrical contractors were expected to be on the scene late Wednesday.

The ATF assists in investigations conducted by smaller fire departments. The task force brings together fire officials from throughout Kane County to assist in large-scale investigations.

ATF spokesman Thomas Ahern said interviews with boarders and Epona Farm's owner, Dora Christensen, had been conducted and more expected to take place.

Christensen leases the land from Evanston-based Starkman Inc., a company official said. Christensen did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

Sprague said she and her husband, Bob Sheets, had boarded their horses at the Kaneville Township farm since it opened within the last 15 years. They described Christensen as a horse lover who had made significant improvements since taking over.

According to its Web site, www.eponadressage.com, Epona Farm had a large indoor arena, 35 refurbished stalls and many acres for riding.

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KANEVILLE TOWNSHIP -- Smoke could be seen from miles away as a horse barn and arena off Francis Road in rural Kaneville Township burned Tuesday evening.

The fire destroyed the 40,000-square-foot structure and is thought to have killed an unspecified number of horses, according to the Kaneville Fire Department.

The Kane County Sheriff's Office and the Kaneville and Elburn fire departments were called to the 1N806 Francis Road barn at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Officials found it completely engulfed in flames and were told that approximately 35 horses were inside. It was not reported if any had escaped the blaze or how many were lost.

Fire fighters from eight departments assisted in controlling the fire, which took more than three hours, according to the Kaneville Fire Department.

No fire fighter injuries were reported.

Damage estimates are not known, and fire department personnel were expected to remain at the scene early into this morning.