Gregory Lewis got word just after 3 a.m. Saturday that the stable where he housed four of his horses was on fire. By the time he made it from New Orleans to Slidell "30-40 minutes" later, his heart was breaking.

"I thought it was maybe a small fire at the barn or something. I was hoping it was just the barn and the horses got out," Lewis said Monday morning.

But soon after arriving from New Orleans, Lewis discovered not all the horses made it to safety, and that three of his four had perished in the flames .

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," he said. "These weren't just animals — they're my family."

Investigators with St. Tammany's 1st Fire Protection District spent the weekend combing through the debris at Lewis Stables. On Saturday, the fire district said that nine hors

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