Tragedy struck in Kentucky on Sunday morning (December 18), as 23 racehorses were killed during an early-morning fire at a training centre in the state.
According to an article by the Lexington Herald-Leader, the fire took place after midnight in Lexington. Eric Reed, the owner of the Mercury Equine Center for Thoroughbreds, has speculated that the fire could have been caused by an electrical issue or lightning.
Grooms and caregivers scrambled to get as many horses out as they could. They managed to save 13 of the horses, but 23 tragically lost their lives in the blaze. Reed has said that most of the horses that perished were well-bred yearlings.
Reed has been quoted as saying, “I’ll never get this nightmare out of my mind.”
He stated that it took fire response crews 39 minutes to get to the blaze, even though the nearest fire station is located “five minutes down the road.”
“We actually called 911 twice asking ‘where is the fire department?’ It’s absolutely unacceptable. … The fire department really let us down.”
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of the horses that lost their lives in the fire.
(With files from the Lexington Herald-Leader)
