A truck and horse trailer were struck by lightning on Turkey Pen Road Tuesday afternoon, killing one of eight horses.

Chief Rick Livingston of Mills River Fire and Rescue said a pickup truck and trailer, with eight horses tied to the trailer, were parked at the parking lot at the Turkey Pen trailhead in Pisgah National Forest just outside Mills River when a sudden, localized thunderstorm formed.

Lightning struck a large tree about 50 feet away from the horse trailer. The bolt traveled across the ground to the horses, killing one and injuring several others, though the injured horses are expected to be fine.

Livingston said it was just a “freak accident.”

The call came in at 3:01 p.m. The bolt also disabled the electrical system of the truck, he said.

Maj. Frank Stout, with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, said the 911 center received a call shortly after 3 p.m. from a third party stating that a large dually truck pulling a trailer with eight horses had been struck by lightning and one horse had been killed.

That area of Pisgah National Forest has poor cell service and radio communications, Stout said, and the third party had to drive away from the scene to get cell service and make the call.

The remote trailhead is a popular spot for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders.