Barn Fire Kills Fifteen Racehorses
By: Lauren Murphy
Updated: June 5, 2008
Fifteen racehorses are dead after a devastating barn fire.
It's a huge economic and emotional loss for the horse's owners and trainers.
"Most animals do not go quietly," said Chief Deputy Paul Scarborough of the Lubbock Sheriff's Office.
"The intensity of the heat prevented people from going in and getting them out, so I am sure it was heartwrenching for the owner and the people who are training those horses to know they're in there and there's nothing they can do about it."
Around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, a barn on East 114th Street caught fire.
One of the horses made it out alive, but was subsequently euthanized because of its severe burns.
Five of the animals belonged to the owner of the barn, Jim Ivie.
Trainers tell us at least two of the horses killed made over one hundred thousand dollars each racing.
"For the owners it was a significant loss for the investment, but you also have the emotional investment, so it's a tragedy no two ways about it," said Scarborough.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
