Horses Rescued From Ellis Park Barn Fire

Published: August 22, 2021 02:14 pm EDT

An early morning barn fire at Ellis Park has caused the cancellation of Sunday's training and racing card at the Kentucky racecourse.

In a press conference this morning, Ellis Park Racing General Manger Jeffery Inman reported that the fire occurred in the receiving barn after 4 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Dispatchers received the call at 4:21 a.m., with a total of seven county fire departments responding on site to extinguish the fire, which fully engulfed the 25-year-old barn.

All people and horses were accounted for, with no human injuries and one minor equine injury.

"We're very grateful here at Ellis Park that everybody here is safe," said Inman. "The horses and our people are our family and that's our biggest concern."

Officials with the track and Henderson County praised the quick response by the fire departments, track management, the maintenance crew and security.

"Ellis Park appreciates the support it gets from the Tri-State areas -- not just Henderson, who is our home, but from Evansville and our surrounding areas," said Inman. "Everybody came to help us and we greatly appreciate the assistance."

While the investigation is still ongoing into the cause of the fire, officials reported that the cause appears to be electrical in nature and no criminal activity is suspected.

Training is expected to resume tomorrow, with the next live race card scheduled for Friday, Aug. 27.

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