Texas Stable Fire Kills 11 Horses, Injures Others

Feb. 04--FORT WORTH -- An early-morning fire Monday killed 11 horses at a large stable in northwest Fort Worth.

A Fort Worth patrol officer reported the fire about 2:30 a.m. in the 3000 block of Northwest 30th Street.

Firefighters and Fort Worth police officers rescued eight horses from their stalls while battling the blaze, said Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Tim Hardeman. Three of the eight horses were burned, including a mare and her foal. The third horse is not expected to survive.

Any injuries to the other horses appeared to be minor.

The stables consisted of three buildings about 500 feet long. Two of the buildings were destroyed and at least half of the remaining building was also lost in the fire.

Firefighters initially had trouble reaching the property and had to stretch hoses about 200 feet to get to the west end of the buildings. Winds were also gusting to 20 mph at the time of the fire, Hardeman said.

When the first firefighters arrived, they found "heavy fire" on the east end of the stables and several horses trapped. Firefighters and three police officers who responded to the scene worked together to free the horses from their locked stalls.

One firefighter sustained minor burns to his hands as he worked to free the horses closest to the fire. He was treated at the scene and released.

Two pieces of machinery, a trencher and a skid loader, and two vehicles were also destroyed in the fire.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Bill Hanna, (817) 390-7698

Twitter: @fwhanna

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