Tragedy was averted on Monday (March 2), as firefighters were able to rescue all 15 horses that were trapped under debris which came down after the roof of a Norwell, Massachusetts barn collapsed at some point during the morning hours.

An article on the situation by CBS Boston states that horses were sedated before being extricated from the barn. The roof had collapsed due to the weight of ice and snow.

The report goes on to explain that some of the horses received superficial cuts, but there were no serious injuries sustained in the ordeal. Five of the horses were able to escape immediately, but the fire crew had to work their hardest in order to get the remaining 10 out.

The fire crew is crediting the construction of the barn – the strength of the outside walls, in particular – as one of the major reasons why there were no fatalities in the incident. The stalls in the barn were located along the outer walls and most of the debris from the roof fell in the centre.

There was another barn collapse in Massachusetts on Monday morning, as three horses were brought to safety in Rehoboth after another roof wilted under the weight of ice and snow.

(With files from CBS Boston)