The operators of a Wisconsin horse rescue are seeking a new location after fire swept through their leased barn last week, killing 24 animals.

Jim Bondowski, who operates the Humane Organization Rescuing and Saving Equines (HORSE) rescue in Footville, Wis., with his wife, Cindy, discovered the barn fire on Nov. 24 after he noticed a group of the rescue's horses running in their pasture. The pair rushed to the barn and were able to remove five horses before smoke and flames engulfed the structure. Authorities later attributed the blaze to an electrical malfunction inside the barn.

Some of the horses lost in the fire were the Bondowskis' own horses, but the majority of the horses were rescued animals. The five horses saved from the fire and another 22 that were pastured at the time of the incident are temporarily being housed at a nearby boarding barn. But since the property's owner does not intend to rebuild the facilities leased by the rescue, the Bondowskis are seeking a new location for the welfare operation.

"So we need to find somewhere we can care for the 27 horses," Cindy said