Fire Rescue:
7:36 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, 2016
The hot metal gates burned their hands and the heavy smoke singed their lungs, but five trainers at South Florida Trotting Center still ran in and out of the barn — engulfed in 30-foot flames — and steered 11 horses to safety early Wednesday.
Twelve other horses, however, perished in the two-alarm fire, which Palm Beach County Fire Rescue ruled accidental Wednesday afternoon. Two firefighters were hurt putting out the flames at the 102-acre suburban Boynton Beach site, which describes itself as a place where “big money winners” in harness racing train.
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)
“You could only stay inside for what felt like seconds … and the horses were scared. We had to force them out,” said Dale Gilmore, one trainer who helped to rescue the horses. “The gates felt like fire.”
Workers who live in dorms and trailers at the 21,000-square-foot center, on State Road 7 south of Hypoluxo Road, saw horses galloping across the property, the barn aflame behind them.
“The horses were screaming,” said Chuck Roback, a maintenance employee. “It was chaos.”
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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)
The fire at the 30-stall barn, one of several stables on the property, was reported just before midnight, but Fire Rescue suspected it had been burning for some time before its crews arrived. It destroyed two-thirds of the barn and caused its roof to collapse.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, investigators concluded that “an unspecified electrical malfunction caused a catastrophic failure at the meter. This failure caused flames and sparks to ignite hay, feed, and other combustible materials that were stored nearby.” Fire Rescue said it considers the investigation closed.
“It’s a worst nightmare,” said Jamie Daley, another trainer who pulled the horses from the stables and called 911. “You work with these horses seven days a week. They’re like family to you.”
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)
Another trainer who helped with the rescue, Roman Lopez, lives in quarters in the barn and suffered smoke inhalation. Trainers Scott Renz and Dan Daley also helped pull the horses from the barn.
Of the 11 horses saved, two were in critical condition with burns and lung damage, said Sam Stathis, the center’s owner since June 2015. Nine others suffered smoke inhalation.
Built to withstand storms, the concrete stables were mostly shells following the fire, which investigators say originated in the south end of the stable where the hay bales were stored.
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)
Gilmore and Daley saw the smoke from a nearby stable where they work, and ran to help.
“We will come together and do what we can to rebuild,” Daley said. “As far as losing those horses, they’re irreplaceable.”
Stathis spoke with the media in front of the damaged barn just after 9 a.m., with smoke still pouring from the stables. One of the six horses he owns at the center died in the fire.
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)
“I don’t think any of them would’ve made it out on their own,” Stathis said. “We had a lot of heroes.”
The horses were all 2 to 3 years old. The other 11 that died were owned by several people and companies and were training for competition. None of the owners was identified Wednesday.
“People say, ‘They’re just horses,’” said Ann Mari Daley, the center’s property manager. “But they’re like our family here. They are my four-legged children.”
Nine hours after the fire, the facility at the Trotter Center still smolders
She walked through the remains of the building with investigators to tally the death toll. Her eyes welled with tears as she answered call after call explaining the tragedy each time.
After a call with her veterinarian, however, 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.
Trotter Center property manager: Horses' condition improving
The trotter and pacer, both 2 years old, were critical following the fire. They and the nine other injured horses are receiving treatment at an animal hospital.
“Just pray for our 11 horses,” Daley said.
Trotter Center's owner: 12 horses dead in barn fire
PBC fire rescue: 12 horses killed in trotter center fire
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)
South Florida Trotter Center fire: 12 horses killed
Video: Fire destroys barn at S. Florida Trotting Center