Tragic fire
More than 40 racehorses die in Ontario stable fire
More than 40 racehorses die in Ontario stable fire
The deaths of 43 racehorses in a massive barn fire is more than just a professional catastrophe – it’s akin to losing members of a family, one trainer said Tuesday.
Dan Lagace was working with seven horses that were being housed at the Classy Lane Stables in the southern Ontario town of Puslinch, about 20 kilometres south of Guelph. All of his animals and three dozen others perished Monday night in a blaze that could only be subdued through the efforts of 50 firefighters from multiple communities.
Lagace said he got word of the fire around 11 p.m. Monday – around the same time fire officials said the blaze was reported by a neighbour.
He rushed to the scene from his home in nearby Cambridge, but said he could only stand helplessly by as the building containing both his livelihood and loved ones was engulfed in flames.
“It’s almost like losing a child. These horses, they’re every part of your life,” the 38-year-old said. “On Christmas morning, when other people are opening gifts with their kids and stuff like that, we’re out at the farm making sure they’re taken care of first.”
Lagace said the blaze also represents a devastating professional setback. He said he has virtually nothing left, since equipment amassed over years was also destroyed in the fire.
The economic impact extends well into the closeknit, horseoriented community, said Classy Lane co-owner Jamie Millier.
Groomers, veterinarians, blacksmiths and other professionals involved in the industry will be feeling the effects of the equine deaths for months to come, he said.
Millier had been vacationing in Florida when he got word of the fire and hastily flew back to Canada to survey the damage. Despite the advance warning, he said he can still barely take it in.
“I’m just waiting to wake up,” he said. “It’s not real. It’s a dream. You don’t expect something like this to really happen to you.”
Millier said 43 horses were in the barn when the fire broke out. Grief over what’s being described as a multimillion-dollar fire is not just confined to the owners and trainers, according to Puslinch’s fire chief.
Steven Goode said the community is now trying to process one of the most significant emotional and financial losses in its history as officials with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office launch an investigation to determine its cause.
The fire broke out on a night when temperatures dipped as low as -20 C.
Neither Lagace nor fellow trainer Ben Wallace had any safety concerns about the facility before the fire broke out.
“It’s a state-of-the-art facility,” said Wallace, who lost 17 horses in the blaze. “It’s owned by great people. They were diligent and did everything that certainly I felt was necessary.”
Wallace’s losses include a horse that had already earned more than $1 million during his racing career.
Six-year-old pacer Apprentice Hanover had placed 10th in the North America Cup in 2013, a race for the top three-yearolds in his category around the world.
Jody Jamieson, who drove Apprentice Hanover for the majority of his races, said he’s “absolutely devastated.”
“It may be a little bit selfish of me at this point but he’s been, if not the best, one of the best horses that I’ve been driving for the last three years,” Jamieson said.
“Apprentice Hanover was the type of horse you dream of,” he said. “Just thinking about it here now, I get a little choked up. He just didn’t deserve this demise, none of them did.”
The Classy Lane website says the facility opened in 2003 and has five barns that accommodate 222 horses.
By Tuesday afternoon, several crowdsourcing campaigns had begun to help raise money for those impacted by the fire.