Fire crews from nine departments battled an exhaustive barn fire in Brooklyn, N.S., just after midnight on Saturday.

Crews said 15 cows died in the blaze.

It happened on the Walton Woods Road near Upper Burlington.

Brooklyn deputy fire chief Andy McDade said it was tough work extinguishing the blaze.

"Upon arrival we had a fully involved barn with approximately 100 bales of hay and some livestock inside the structure. We had some difficultly due to the cold and the amount of ice in the ponds and rivers that we tried to gain water supply to. We had to use a lot of resources and tankers getting water to the scene," he said.

McDade said it took about three hours to put out the fire.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.