A pre-dawn fire tore through a barn at the Saratoga Casino Hotel Harness Track in Saratoga Springs, NY, early Tuesday, killing 17 horses and injuring one, officials said. The blaze began around 2:30am in the backstretch area, where roughly 350 horses are typically stabled, CBS News reports. No people were hurt. Eleven of the dead horses were trained by Robyn Mongiardo and six by Timothy Benson. There were 18 horses in the barn when the fire broke out; the surviving horse managed to escape and received only minor injuries, WNYT reports.
Fire crews contained the flames to a single barn as track staff and responders moved other horses to safety. The barn was reported to have been completely destroyed, per News 10. The harness track is not affiliated with the nearby Saratoga Race Course, home to the Belmont Stakes in recent years. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The casino said it is coordinating with Saratoga Hospital to provide grief counseling to affected workers and owners.
