A barn fire at the farm of Pennsylvania-based trainer Brewer Adams Wednesday afternoon (January 31) totally destroyed the building, but did not harm any horses nor Adams, who was home at the time.
Brewer smelled smoke around 1:30 p.m. and called 911. Brewer told a local TV station that after calling 911 he immediately went and rescued all nine horses in the barn. According to a local fire chief, the fire spread within minutes to engulf the whole structure.
"The animals are my livelihood, so I had to get them out and make sure they were safe, and luckily they all got out in time," Adams was quoted as saying.
Adams bought the 68-acre farm in 2012. The destroyed barn included 19 stalls, a riding arena, and an apartment he rented out during the summer. Adams also lost all of his equipment, and said he estimates the total loss to be close to $3 million.
Investigators are still determining the cause of the blaze but they have called it an accident.
(Harnessracing.com)