While Barbie Steinheimer was at home doing paperwork last Thursday, neighbor Trudy Alt came over and pounded on Steinheimer's window, screaming "your hay is on fire."

If it had been a minute or two later, Steinheimer said, "the horses and myself may not have made it out."

Steinheimer got up, in shock by what she had just heard, looked into the riding arena attached to her home on Road 7 just south of Lane 10 and saw a "reddish-pink cloud" and flames glowing. A mare she had segregated from her stable of 18 horses was caught in the arena and running scared. Steinheimer immediately rushed in to save the mare. At the same time she was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.

"I'm sure [the dispatcher] thought I was losing my mind," she said, adding she realized the gravity of the situation when she saw her entire haystack ablaze.

Wet, tightly packed hay promotes bacterial growth, generating heat that can eventually reach the ignition point, causing it to catch fire.

"I would have died to save my horses," she said in a Friday interview. "We love what we do, and people like me will do anything to save them."

An unidentified fireman saved Ginger, Steinheimer's beautiful mini Australian Shepherd pup, taking it out of the house portion of the building and placing it safely in a nearby horse trailer. Unfortunately, a barn cat or two may have been trapped in the blaze. However, Steinheimer hasn't lost hope, placing food for the cats near a small cabin on the property in hopes they return if they made it through the fast-moving blaze.

With her horses and dog safe, Steinheimer turned and saw another horse had escaped the stressful situation and was out on the road. She immediately ran out to secure it.

As she walked down the road, she took a few seconds to look back at her fully engulfed home. For a moment she let her emotions get the best of her.

"It's gone," she said, suddenly realizing there was no saving her home. "All my work is gone," breaking down for a brief moment until one of her friends embraced her. Within seconds, she was back on the mission to capture the loose horse.

Steinheimer came to Powell and built her horse breeding operation in 2020. She is also a certified counselor for children with autism.

She wasn't yet finished with her house, which was attached to the riding arena. There was a wrap-around porch planned as a finishing touch to the home.

Within minutes the Powell volunteer firefighters arrived, finding the entire facility fully engulfed in flames.

"It was lost before she even called 911," said Fire Chief Dustin Dicks.

Once the roof of the riding arena collapsed, the wind took care of the rest of the facility, feeding flames that at times shot 40- to 50-feet in the air as black smoke poured from the structure and the sound of steel roofing popping and rolling in the wind.

Within an hour of her call to 911, the entire facility was lying mostly flat on the ground with twisted steel roofing being one of the few things left that was identifiable. The fire burned so hot that the fire department was forced to return 24 hours later on Friday afternoon to put out some hot spots.

Chief Dicks said it was impossible to fight the fire from the east side of the facility due to high winds.

"Luckily no horses or people were hurt," Dicks said.

Steinheimer said the fire department was on scene within three minutes of her making the call to 911.

"It seemed like an hour at the time, but when I looked back at my call and when they arrived, I was shocked by how fast they responded," she said. "I'm thankful and know how blessed I was with the fire department coming out and helping ... and for the volunteers and how much they've done for me."

She said she is also thankful to her friends and neighbors who helped her through the ordeal and who continue to assist her as she faces raising her horses after losing every saddle and piece of horse tack she owned.

Fortunately, a few of her belongings were saved. Her family's china service was saved and was sitting in the dirt needing a box on Friday. Also saved was a small chaise lounge, a fur blanket and a small side table; taken from a bedroom prior to the fire spreading to the back portion of the house.

A huge blessing is some of her clothes — those that she had stowed away because they no longer fit — were saved. They smell of smoke and are a little baggy, but she doesn't care. She is counting her blessings after escaping from the house in a pair of boxer shorts and boots without socks.

After losing almost everything, Steinheimer's friends have stepped up to seek help from the Powell-area community. Friend Jamie Blankenship started a GoFundMe account and there is now an account for donations at First Bank of Powell.

"She's a very giving person. She always puts other people before her, and especially her horses. She loves her horses," Blankenship said.

One thing that is critical for Steinheimer is finding a place for her horses. This is breeding season and she is also looking for a mare hotel.