Stable Fire Kills 24 Racehorses

A fire that broke out in a barn before dawn today killed 24 Standardbred racehorses at the Buffalo Raceway harness-racing track on the Erie County Fairgrounds near Buffalo, officials said.

“Racehorses were running all over the place,” said Robert Braman, one of 100 volunteer firefighters who battled the blaze in the 202-foot-long wooden barn. “Some came out with their blankets on fire.” Darrell Wood, director of marketing for the track, said about a dozen horses were saved. Most of the horses, which pull two-wheeled sulkies and a driver, were valued in the $3,000 to $10,000 range.