LEESBURG, Va. - There are new details Wednesday night about a fire at the Red Hill farm near Leesburg that killed nearly two dozen animals.

Huntsman Kevin Palmer saved more than 60 animals from certain death when his barn erupted into flames Wednesday morning at the farm near Leesburg.

On Wednesday night, there was some joy on the heels of tragedy for Palmer,  who says his hounds are like family. "Liam made it, Kinross made it," Palmer said,

Palmer spoke with ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reporter Jennifer Donelan and told her about the morning's ordeal. "There was no way I could get into it. The fire just engulfed everything. When I opened the door here -- that just fueled it," he explained.

"The noise they were making, oh my God, the hounds were like howling. I don't think I'll ever lose it in my mind," said Palmer's 18-year-old daughter Tabitha.

Palmer says he suddenly had super strength. "I don't know where I got it from. I picked up the end of those bars and gave them enough for the hounds to slip out. I saved the hounds that were trying to get out," he said.

Seventeen hounds, including 10 puppies never made it out alive. Three horses also died in the blaze. The family buried them on the property.

Palmer says the fire marshal pointed to a faulty refrigerator as the cause of the deadly fire. Wednesday night, 10 hounds are in the hospital with serious burns. Palmer will care for a handful of the less injured himself.

"We had a triage out here just like you would for a military disaster," he said.

Palmer also says he'll rebuild and take care of more than 60 four-legged survivors as he's done since they were born. "My facilities are gone. I need to do the best I can for them now," he said.

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