A barn fire, killing 15 horses, occurred at four o’clock this morning at Norfolk Downs Race Track in Chicago. 25 horses were in the barn when the fire started, 10 managed to escape.

Albert Ramos, a jockey and owner of one of the surviving horses, was there to watch the workers clean up the scene.

“That’s my best friend,” he said, pointing to the surviving horses. “I love horses more than I do people. I feel like I want to Cry.”

Arson is the suspected cause of the fire. An arson squad was called to the scene to investigate the incident.

The assistant general manager of the track believes that a device may have caused the fires.

“It could have been of an incendiary nature because it started in the middle of the barn, not at the end. The only heaters and electrical outlets were in the tack rooms at the ends of the barns.”

Fire Chief Jim Connery stated, “The fire exploded near the center of the barn. Flames were shooting out of the building when we got here. The fire is definitely suspicious.”