Fire chars two rooms of Swaps barn at Oaklawn Park.
Morning blaze in Swaps barn hurts 2 people, displaces 40 horses for a time
HOT SPRINGS — Two people were injured and 40 horses were evacuated early Tuesday after a fire damaged part of the Swaps barn at Oaklawn Park, according to Hot Springs Fire Chief Ed Davis and Oaklawn officials.
The Hot Springs Fire Department was called to Oaklawn at 5:51 a.m. to battle a fire in the second-floor tack room in the barn. Oaklawn officials said the fire destroyed two dorm rooms.
“The fire marshals are still investigating the cause, but there were some appliances operating in the tack room,” Davis said Tuesday. “These kinds of things are usually caused by human activity, and it is one of those situations where our marshals are doing their due diligence to find the cause.”
Davis said two people were injured and described one of the injuries as minor.
The fire was extinguished in less than 20 minutes, but the Fire Department returned shortly before 11 a.m. to douse a “hot spot.” Davis said crews had to remove a large section of the roof to extinguish three areas that were smoldering.
The 40 horses were removed from the barn for about 45 minutes during the initial fire early in the morning, according to Jennifer Hoyt, media relations manager for Oaklawn.
“The fire was quickly contained, and no horses were harmed,” Hoyt said. “All the horses were moved, and once the fire was out they returned to their stalls.”
Trainers Frederico Villafranco and Danele Durham occupy the barn.
The dorm areas in each barn serve as living quarters for stable hands during live racing. People staying in the barn’s dorms will be taken care of, Hoyt said.
The cause of the fire was still unknown Tuesday afternoon, Hoyt said.