Another major fire at Riverside Downs; 26 horses killed
November 20, 2008
A major fire broke out in the early morning hours at Riverside Downs, a former horse racing facility near the Ohio River in northern Henderson County, Ky.
Baskett Fire Chief Bill Shaw said 26 horses died in the blaze, which was called in to emergency dispatchers about 4:30 a.m. Shaw said only four horses escaped the barn, which was a total loss.
Crews remain at the scene early this morning. A cause has not been determined.
It's the fourth fire in the past several years at the facility. The most recent, on Jan. 4, killed six horses and caused $70,000 in damage to one of the barns. The financial value of the six horses that died was estimated at $32,000. Nineteen horses escaped that inferno. which investigators blamed on a vending machine's electrical cord.
In December 2003, 22 horses perished when a fire swept through another barn at a boarding and training facility on the backside of the property. The fire was determined to have been of electrical origin.
In November 2005, what used to be the grandstand at the old harness track was set on fire. Four people were arrested and charged with third-degree arson. |
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