Firefighters battle barn fire at racehorse training facility
WESTERN LAKE WORTH (CBS12) — Arson investigators have ruled the deadly fire at the South Florida Trotting Center, accidental.
Wednesday evening just before Midnight, firefighters responded to a 2-alarm barn fire at the racehorse facility located at 7563 South State Road 7.
The facility is a race track and an equestrian training center that houses racehorses used for harness racing.
CBS12 viewer Jaime Daley says she arrived at the facility to drop off her racehorses when she saw smoke and flames coming out of one of the barns.
She said she called 911 and immediately tried rescuing horses but many were frightened and ran back inside of the barn that was on fire.
Dozens of horses perished in the fire, and several others received critical burns and currently receiving treatment.
Arson investigators believe an electrical meter inside of a barn that housed up to 30 horses, malfunctioned. Investigators believe that failure caused the meter to spark, setting fire to hay, feed, and other combustible materials that were stored nearby.
