An investigation continued Monday into the cause of a fire that killed 32 horses and injured a firefighter at a stable in McHenry County over the weekend.
Rescue Chief Paul DeRaedt, with the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department, said the remains of the 32 horses have been removed from the charred stable and owners will decide this week how they would like to move forward.
DeRaedt said his department, along with the McHenry Township Fire Protection District and the state fire marshal, are still investigating the cause of the fire Saturday at the Valley View Acres horse stable at 5116 Mount Thabor Road near Woodstock.
“We’re not confident that we will ever know the exact cause,” DeRaedt said.
The fire started at 10:53 p.m. Saturday, according to a statement from Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department. Stable owner Amber Bauman said her family had attended an Illinois Hunter Jumper Association banquet Saturday night and her two sons had returned home early.
One son awoke to an “awkward sound,” looked out the window of their home and saw the stable was on fire, Bauman said.
A firefighter suffered minor injuries during the fire and was treated and released from a local hospital. No one else was hurt, the statement said.
Five horses escaped the stable unscathed and were found in a nearby pasture.
The stable was in an area without fire hydrants, so first responders requested additional manpower, equipment and water tenders through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System. Fire departments from 27 surrounding jurisdictions, including Elgin, Lake Zurich and Barrington, helped put out the blaze, the statement said.
Firefighters declared the fire under control around 12:30 a.m.
The preliminary damage estimate, which includes the lost horses, could be over $1 million, according to the statement.
