31 January 2013 Last updated at 11:13 ET

Fire carnage at Black Forest camel farm in Germany

Camels were trapped in their stalls

A night-time blaze has swept through a camel farm in Germany's Black Forest area, killing 86 animals but causing no human casualties, police say.

Just five camels survived the fire at the farm near Stuttgart, where visitors have been coming for years to ride them and buy their milk.

The other animals were trapped in their stalls and perished.

Police investigating the cause of the blaze said there was no immediate indication of an arson attack.

The farm's main building burned down and damage to the property was estimated at up to 2m euros (£1.7m; $2.7m). The cost of the lost animals had still to be estimated, police said.

Only a few camels were rescued

Around 150 volunteer firefighters tackled the blaze in Ebhausen, which was reported at 02:13 (01:13 GMT), Die Welt newspaper reports.

The owner of the camel farm, who is in his early seventies, was said to be in a state of shock. He had dedicated much of his life to the unusual project, police said.

The man, his family and farm employees were being cared for by local pastors.