COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – One horse has died and another was injured Thursday morning after a fire erupted at a property in Coconut Creek.
The fire was reported at about 5 am. at Red Stone Ranch and Rescue, located at 4551 Northwest 39th Ave.
“Leah was the other horse that perished. She was a sweet mare, 10 years old, a little brown and white horse,” one of the ranch owners told Local 10 News. “So she will be really missed. You know, we’re sad.”
“The tragic spot of it all is losing an animal in any condition is really tough,” fellow owner Andy Cody said.
Scotty Leamon, a public information officer for the Coconut Creek Police Department and Coconut Creek Fire Rescue, told Local 10 News that firefighters got the barn fire under control in less than 20 minutes.
“We are investigating the cause of the fire along with Coconut Creek Fire Rescue. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting in the investigation,” Leamon said in an email to Local 10. “Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Rescue and Lauderhill Fire Rescue helped us on this call.”
After the fire was extinguished, first responders placed a yellow tarp over the deceased horse. The injured horse was placed inside a horse trailer before being taken to the veterinarian.
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While the cause of the fire is under investigation, Cody has his own theory about what might have happened.
“There had been a lot of lightning activity, so our belief is that it was a lightning strike,” he said.
City officials said they are looking into some code violations on the property, but the owners said they have been working with the city to get all the permits they need to be able to get the barn up to code.
“We bought the property in February. The assessor’s office is not going to be making their determination of land use until December,” Cody said.
Because of that, the owners had to stop any type of construction at the barn.
“We would have been able to build freely and potentially have avoided that,” one of the owners said.
For now, the owners are keeping their spirits up thanks to the help of kind neighbors in the equine community who quickly offered a helping hand.
“We had people that went in and helped with their animals, making sure that they’re OK, that their animals are OK, and that the neighbors are OK,” Ejola Cook, owner of Spitfire Farm, said.
According to its website, Red Stone Ranch and Rescue is a place where children can learn about the importance of taking care of animals.
Cody said they will eventually have 10 stables and will be putting in an arena before opening a riding program for the community.