Dale Gilmore and Roman Lopez darted through the burning barn at South Florida Trotting Center early Wednesday, pulling levers and opening door, gulping in billows of smoke with each step.
Only 11 of 23 horses made it out alive.
A two-alarm fire destroyed a 200 foot-long barn at the South Florida Trotting Center on State Road 7 south of Hypoluxo Road. The fire started around midnight and caused the roof to collapse. The fate of about 30 horses in the barn was unknown Wednesday morning, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Capt. Albert Borroto. (Allen Eyestone / The Palm Beach Post)
Thirty-foot flames engulfed the structure overnight. Twelve horses died. Two were critically injured. Two firefighters were hurt putting out the flames at the suburban Boynton Beach center.
“The gates felt like fire,” said Gilmore, who works at the neighboring stable and saw the some. Lopez, who works at the barn and lives in a room at there, was inside at the time.
“The horses were scared. We had to force them out,” Gilmore said.
Lopez suffered smoke inhalation after trying to rescue the horses from the burning barn, on State Road 7 south of Hypoluxo Road, said property manager Ann Marie Daley.
Nearby workers, who live in dorms and trailers at the 21,000-square-foot center, saw the horses galloping across the property, the barn aflame behind them.
“The horses were screaming,” said Chuck Roback, a maintenance employee. “It was chaos.”
The fire was reported just before midnight, but fire rescue suspects it had been burning for some time before they arrived.
The two firefighters were injured during while battling the flames, which destroyed two-thirds of the barn, said Capt. Albert Borroto of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. They were taken to a hospital, and the extent of their injuries was not released.
The roof of the barn violently collapsed during the fire, Borroto said.
The roof of the barn violently collapsed during the fire, Borroto said.
Sam Stathis, owner of the equestrian center, stood in front of the damaged building just after 9 a.m., smoke still pouring from the stables, where investigators say the fire originated.
“As you can see behind me, we had a terrible tragedy last night,” Stathis said, pausing after a slight sob. The horses were all 2 to 3 years old, owned by several people and companies, and training for competition.
“People say, ‘They’re just horses,’ ” Daley said. “But they’re like our family here. They are my four-legged children.”
Investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire. They rummaged through the debris in the collapsed building for hours Wednesday morning.
Daley walked through the remains of the building with investigators to tally the death toll.
Her eyes welled with tears as she took phone call after phone call explaining the tragedy each time.
Horse barn fire kills 12 horses; witness says ‘gates felt like fire’ photo
A two-alarm fire destroyed a 200 foot-long barn at the South Florida Trotting Center on State Road 7 south of Hypoluxo Road. The fire started around midnight and caused the roof to collapse. The fate of about 30 horses in the barn was unknown Wednesday morning, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Capt. Albert Borroto. (Allen Eyestone / The Palm Beach Post)
After one call with her veterinarian, she smiled wide and threw her fist into the air.
“They’re stabilizing,” she said of two horses, Master of the Hill and Macy’s Big Boy. The trotter and pacer, both 2 years old, were in critical condition following the fire.
They, and nine other horses who all suffered smoke inhalation, were taken to an animal hospital for treatment.
Owner of barn south of Wellington: 12 horses killed in fire; 2 injured photo
A two-alarm fire destroyed a 200 foot-long barn at the South Florida Trotting Center on State Road 7 south of Hypoluxo Road. The fire started around midnight and caused the roof to collapse. The fate of about 30 horses in the barn was unknown Wednesday morning, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Capt. Albert Borroto. (Allen Eyestone / The Palm Beach Post)
“Just pray for our 11 horses,” Daley said.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/fire-rescue-several-horses-trapped-inside-during-o/nqmQq/