23 Horses Killed in Kentucky Barn Fire
BALTIMORE (WJZ) - A barn fire in Lexington, Kentucky leaves nearly two dozen horses dead.
WYMT in Kentucky reports that the fire happened around 1 a.m. Sunday morning on the property of Mercury Equine Center, a horse training facility.
A worker at the farm was able to save at least seven horses from the fire, but the owner of the training center Eric Reed says there were many more in the barn.
In total, Reed says there were 36 horses inside the barn at the time, but only about a dozen made it out alive.
"Most of the horses that perished in this barn were yearlings," says Reed, "It was the yearling barn. There were a hand full of race horses in their as well."
Those killed include a racehorse that had recently won a $100,000 stakes race and another that Reed said had been scheduled to race Monday.
Fire officials still haven't confirmed what started the fire, but Reed thinks the barn may have been struck by lightning during a storm in the area.
Friends of the Reed family have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for equipment, such as blankets and halters, and care of the surviving horses.
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