DAMASCUS, Md. (AP) -- A fire killed 25 horses at a farm known for training horses for competitions involving running courses with tight turns.
A 1,000-square-foot aluminum barn at Summerwind Farm was destroyed in the Sunday morning blaze. In the charred wreckage, the blackened bodies of about a half-dozen horses could be seen; other bodies were covered by timbers and twisted metal.
The farm trains competitive reining horses, which run courses with many hairpin turns. It also boards and trains quarter horses, which are bred to be sprinters.
Officials estimated that the blaze caused as much as $500,000 in losses, including the horses. The horses killed varied in value from a few thousand dollars to more than $100,000. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
``For this to happen is just heartbreaking,'' said horse owner Linda McKenna. Her own quarter horse, Dunny, was in a stall away from the main barn that burned.
The fire was reported by a passing motorist who spotted smoke. Montgomery County fire officials said that when firefighters arrived at about 6 a.m., the barn was engulfed in flames.
