REDDICK, Fla. – State fire rescue officials are investigating a barn fire which killed twenty-one horses belonging to the family who owns the World Equestrian Center.
The barn in Reddick, a small town 15 miles north of Ocala, caught fire just before 4 a.m. Tuesday, according to Marion County firefighters. The property belongs to Roby and Mary Roberts, the president and chairwoman of the company which owns the World Equestrian Center.
Sofia Roberts, the granddaughter of Roby and Mary, says she and people working at the barn were able to move more than 40 horses out of a nearby barn before the fire could hurt them. She wrote about the fire on her public Facebook page Wednesday morning.
“My horses are my family, and I can’t put into words how devastated my entire team is,” Roberts’ post said. “We dedicate our lives to these amazing animals, and for something so tragic to happen is so hard to comprehend.”
Firefighters arrived around 4:15 and took around an hour to put out the fire. They say the flames caused the roof to collapse in on the barn, and killed 21 horses inside.
A spokesperson for the World Equestrian Center says the barn fire is unrelated to the venue, even though the two properties share owners. They called it a “personal matter” and declined to comment further.
WUFT reached out to personal phones and several businesses owned by the Roberts’ family, who declined to speak about the fire.
The barn had no sprinklers, according to the Marion County Property Appraiser’s website. Marion County Fire Rescue’s spokesperson, James Lucas, says certain farm buildings, like barns, are exempt from the Florida building codes requiring buildings to have sprinklers.
Detectives from the State Fire Marshal’s office are working to find out what started the fire. Lucas says it could take months before their investigation is finished. He says enough value was lost in the fire to warrant a state investigation.
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This is a breaking news story. Check back in case there are further developments. Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.