In the second such tragedy in Ontario in as many weeks, at least a dozen horses have perished in a barn fire on Highway 89 west of Mount Forest.

The barn at the private farm was fully engulfed in flames late Thursday night January 14, 2016, when firefighters arrived on the scene. Sadly, the horses trapped inside were not able to be rescued.

David Guilbault, Fire Chief of Wellington North Fire Services, said he believes one or two of the 14 horses that were in the barn may have managed to escape. All of the horses were Arabians.

The fire started at about 10 pm Thursday night, and approximately 40 firefighters had the blaze extinguished by early Friday morning and kept the fire from spreading to adjacent structures. One person at the property suffered minor injuries and smoke inhalation.

The Ontario Fire Marshall is expected to conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire. There is speculation that a tractor may have been the ignition source.

Just less than two weeks prior on January 4th, 43 Standardbred horses perished in a stable fire at Classy Lane Stables in Puslinch, 20 km southeast of Guelph, in what is considered to be a huge loss to the horse and racing communities. 

Photo: ©Canstockphoto/daliscot