Horse dies in barn fire at Coconut Creek ranch
COCONUT CREEK - A fire tore through a barn at a Coconut Creek ranch on Thursday morning, killing one horse and injuring a second.
Coconut Creek police said their fire rescue department received a call about the fire in the horse barn at the Red Stone Ranch, at 4551 NW 39 Avenue, around 5 a.m.
Firefighters from Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Rescue and Lauderhill Fire Rescue were sent to assist. They had the fire under control in less than 20 minutes and were able to keep it contained to the barn.
Police said one horse in the barn died.
"She was a sweet mare, 10 years old, a little brown and white painted horse, so she'll be really missed. You know, we're sad," said Michelle Patton.
She said she quickly moved her milk cow away from the fire and rushed the injured horse, "Oaks," to a big animal veterinarian in Wellington.
"He's in critical condition. He's got severe burns down his right side," she said.
It's unclear how many horses and donkeys were in the barn at the time of the fire.
No humans were injured.
The owners of the ranch, which they bought in February, said they were in the process of tearing the wooden stable so they could replace it with a metal one, but tragedy struck before they could make the switch.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The state's Fire Marshall will investigate the horse fatality.