REDDICK, FL (352today.com) – A devastating early morning blaze claimed the lives of 21 horses after a barn caught fire in the 6000 block of Northwest 118th Street on Tuesday.
Marion County Fire Rescue (MCFR) units were dispatched at 3:58 a.m. on April 8 after a 911 caller reported a barn engulfed in flames, with horses trapped inside. Crews arrived at 4:13 a.m. to find the 10,000-square-foot, single-story barn fully involved, with the roof collapsed.
Despite firefighting efforts, all 21 horses housed in the barn were killed. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control by 5:13 a.m. No people were harmed.
MCFR says that the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials from the State of Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosives Investigations, along with the Marion County Fire Marshal’s Office, are working to determine how the fire started and whether foul play was involved.
Authorities have not released the name of the property owner or whether any additional animals were affected. The investigation is ongoing.