About 20 horses were killed in a barn fire in Langley, B.C. on Sunday afternoon.

The fire broke out just after 2 p.m. PT in the large barn near the All Seasons Mushroom farm on 224th Street.

Assistant Fire Chief Pat Walker said two people in an adjacent barn were treated for smoke inhalation and later released from hospital.

About 11 trucks and more than 40 firefighters attended the fire and thick black smoke could be seen from several kilometres away as they fought to get the blaze under control.     

Walker said it would take investigators some time to confirm how many horses died in the barn.

"At this point in time, we're aware of at least 20 horses that perished in the fire, so we're in the overhaul process right now and due to the nature of the construction of the barn and the contents, we'll have to get a machine to clear the tin off and get at the animals"

It is not yet clear what may have sparked the blaze, said Walker on Sunday.

Google maps: 3300 block of 224 St., Langley, B.C.