It is a devastating loss for a local farm and the equine industry as more than 40 racehorses were killed in a barn fire here on Monday night.
On Jan. 5 Puslinch fire chief Steve Goode told the Advertiser “last night, around 11pm on Jan. 4, Puslinch fire received a 911 call for a fully involved barn fire with horses trapped.”
When firefighters arrived at Classy Lane Stables Training Centre on Concession 1, the barn was engulfed in flames, said Goode, who noted the facility manager was on the scene.
“But there was nothing the firefighters could do,” he said. “Forty horses perished in the fire.”
He expects damages to total millions of dollars, though he does not know an exact figure at this time.
“This is the highest dollar loss the Township of Puslinch has experienced,” he said, adding the horses raced “at Woodbine, Flamboro Downs, Mohawk and surrounding areas.”
There were up to 50 firefighters on the scene from Hamilton, Cambridge, Guelph and Guelph-Eramosa (Rockwood), with other departments on standby, Goode said.
The morning after the fire, Classy Lane owner Barb Millier had little additional information to offer.
“We need a little time …” she said, noting her husband Jamie was on a plane from Florida and heading to the farm to meet with trainers, employees and insurance representatives.
“They are all waiting at the farm,” Millier told the Advertiser. “We just don’t know anything else right now. We don’t know how it was caused, or anything else.”
As of 3pm on Jan. 5, firefighters were still on the scene, continuing to deal with hot spots.
Goode noted the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office was expected to arrive later in the day to investigate in conjunction with Puslinch Fire and Rescue and the Wellington County OPP.
Goode said horse owners were also to arrive throughout the day.
“This is absolutely devastating for (the township) and the horse community,” Goode said.
“It’s going to have a huge impact on them.”
The Classy Lane website states the 135-acre farm is a multi-million dollar operation established in 2003 that offers a seven-eighths mile track and five barns that accommodate 222 horses.
