Firefighters at the scene of a barn fire Sunday afternoon in Ripley. The barn was destroyed in the blaze, and a few animals also perished. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Chautauqua County Fire Investigation Team. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

RIPLEY — Chautauqua County fire investigators were looking into the cause of a blaze that destroyed a barn and killed several animals Sunday afternoon.

Crews were called around 12:40 p.m. to 9034 Belson Road in Ripley for the fire.

Karen Riedesel said she was in her kitchen cooking when she began to hear popping sounds. That’s when she said she looked outside and saw smoke coming from the nearby barn.

“I told my husband ‘The barn is on fire,'” Riedesel told The Post-Journal. “So I called 911. He came running out and tried to save the animals.”

Riedesel said her husband, Phil, was born on the farm and has lived there for more than 60 years. Though they were able to get some of the animals out, Riedesel said several attempted to re-enter the barn.

Riedesel said seeing the barn destroyed Sunday was hard to watch.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “His father built that barn. I have no idea what happened.”

Mark Smith, chief of the Ripley Fire Department, said crews arrived to find the front half of the barn fully engulfed by flames. He said firefighters were able to save an adjoining structure next to the barn.

Smith said a pig and two chickens likely perished in Sunday’s blaze.

Firefighters from Ripley, South Ripley, Sherman, Westfield, Portland and East Dunkirk provided assistance. Chautauqua County fire coordinators also responded to the scene, Smith said.

Ripley firefighters remained on location for about three and a half hours.

Follow Eric Tichy at twitter.com/erictichy