Horse killed, another injured after fire at Coconut Creek ranch

COCONUT CREEK, Florida – A horse died and another was injured Thursday morning after a fire broke out at a property in Coconut Creek.

The fire was reported around 5 a.m. at Red Stone Ranch and Rescue, located at 4551 Northwest 39th Ave.

“Leah was the other horse that died. She was a beautiful 10-year-old mare, a little brown and white horse,” one of the ranch owners told Local 10 News. “We’re going to miss her very much. You know, we’re sad.”

“The most tragic thing about this is that losing an animal, no matter what condition it's in, is really hard,” said Andy Cody, also an owner.

Scotty Leamon, public information officer for the Coconut Creek Police Department and Coconut Creek Fire Department, told Local 10 News that firefighters had the barn fire under control in less than 20 minutes.

“We are investigating the cause of the fire with the Coconut Creek Fire Department. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting in the investigation,” Leamon said in an email to Local 10. “Coral Springs-Parkland and Lauderhill fire departments have assisted us with this matter.”

After the fire was extinguished, first responders placed a yellow tarp over the deceased horse. The injured horse was placed in a horse trailer before being taken to the veterinarian.

As the cause of the fire is investigated, Cody has his own theory about what might have happened.

“There had been a lot of thunderstorms, so we think it was lightning,” he said.

City officials said they are investigating some code violations on the property, but the owners said they are working with the city to obtain all the permits they need to bring the barn up to code.

“We bought the property in February. The assessment office won't make a decision on land use until December,” Cody said.

Because of this, the owners had to stop any type of construction in the barn.

“We could have built freely and potentially avoided this,” one owner said.

For now, the owners are keeping their spirits up with the help of kind neighbors in the equine community who have been quick to reach out.

“We’ve had people come out and help their animals, making sure they’re okay, their animals are okay and the neighbors are okay,” said Ejola Cook, owner of Spitfire Farm.

According to its website, Red Stone Ranch and Rescue is a place where children can learn the importance of caring for animals.

Cody said they will eventually have 10 stables and put in an arena before opening a riding program for the community.