Seventeen horses died early Tuesday morning in a barn fire at the Saratoga Casino Hotel harness racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, a blow to one of the most storied venues in American horse racing.
Fire officials said the blaze erupted at about 2:30 a.m. local time and destroyed a barn that had been housing as many as 18 horses. One horse escaped the burning structure with what officials described as “minor injuries.” No human injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“The fire spread too fast and too quickly,” according to a fundraising page set up for the affected horsemen, which stated that employees were just arriving to feed the horses and clean their stalls when they spotted the flames.
The Saratoga Harness Horseperson’s Association, in a statement, called the loss “a sobering day in our industry, a horseperson’s worst nightmare.”
By Tuesday afternoon, more than $30,000 had been raised for those whose horses, stables and livelihoods were destroyed by the blaze. The Saratoga Casino Hotel Harness announced that races at the track were canceled for the rest of the day and that a memorial service for the lost horses would be held, with details to be announced later.
Saratoga Springs has been synonymous with horse racing since the 1840s and has grown into one of the premier racing destinations in the United States. The Saratoga Casino Hotel, which operates live harness racing on a historic half-mile track, is home to a year-round racing schedule that draws visitors from across the country.