Angie Walls
(photo by CherylAnn Quigley from Shutterstock)
Unpublished (Journalism class exercise)
June 2012

Springfield, Ind. – A suspicious fire early this morning at Lincoln Downs Race Track killed 15 of their 25 horses in the stable, just one day before the season opener.

The fire started about 4 a.m. and smoldered for eight hours, leaving only charred wooden supports where the barn once stood. The remaining 10 horses had escaped the one-story barn, including two that stampeded the barnyard with their backs on fire.

An arson squad is currently investigating the cause of the fire. Fire Chief Bernard Perry stated, “The fire is definitely suspicious. It exploded near the center of the barn. When we got here, flames were shooting out of the building.”

Dan Bucci, assistant general manager at Lincoln Downs, told officials that the only heaters and outlets were located in the tack rooms at the ends of the barn, far from where the fire began.

The event has been devastating for athletes and their fans in anticipation of Opening Day. “Those are my best friends,” Albert Ramos, a jockey, said in the fire’s aftermath.