Nienke's blog

At four o’clock this morning, there was a fire in a barn at Norfolk Downs Race Track, Chicago, killing 15 horses.

This tragic event happened one day before the opening of racing season. In the barn in question, 25 horses were stabled. Ten of the horses were able to escape the fire, two of which stampeded through the barnyard with their backs on fire. The fire smoldered until noon, and after that only several rows of charred wooden supports remained intact.

Arson is suspected as the cause for the fire. For this reason, an arson squad has been called to the scene. Jim Connery, fire chief: “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.”

Statements from officials also shine more light on the suspiciousness of the fire. Dan Bucci, assistant general manager of the track: “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 barn.

This tragedy affected a lot of people. Both the jockeys and the owners of the track experienced a great loss. One of the jockeys, Albert Ramos, watched workers as they cleaned up the area. “That’s my best friends,” he said, pointing to a surviving horse, “I love horses more than I do people. I feel like I want to cry.”

Comments RSS