Fire at equestrian centre destroys cars and building
A fire at an equestrian centre in East Lancashire has destroyed three cars and burnt down a building.
No horses were injured in the fire, which broke out just metres away from where 13 were stabled.
Carol Saville, owner of Gisburn-based Panama Sport Horses, a sales, livery and training yard, said the blaze started at around 1.15am on Friday (17 April).
A friend staying at the onsite house discovered the fire 20 minutes later when she looked out of the window.
“My friend woke me up and I saw three cars were on fire,” Carol told H&H. “The Portakabin we use as an office went up like a bomb.”
Two horses— a 16.1hh 10-year-old chestnut mare and a 16.2hh five-year-old bay gelding — had windows looking out onto the office and “went berserk”.
“The stables are attached to the house,” added Carol. “It could have been a lot worse – the muckheap is just behind the office and the stables are just few feet from the muckheap.”
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Firefighters spent almost three hours tackling the blaze.
A joint investigation between police and fire services is now underway.
“A fire engine from Barnoldswick, a fire engine from Clitheroe and a fire engine from Nelson attended a fire involving three cars and an outbuilding at Park Road, Gisburn,” said a spokesman from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
“Firefighters used two hose reels, one jet, two breathing apparatus and approximately 45 litres of foam to bring the fire under control. We were at the scene for two hours and fifty minutes.”
“If the fire had spread much further we would not have been able to get our horses out of the yard,” added Carol.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.