2 men, 43 horses dead in Ohio barn fire

LEBANON, Ohio, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A fast-moving fire in a building at the Lebanon Raceway in Ohio killed two men and 43 horses early Saturday, firefighters said.

While the victims had not been officially identified, Jackie Winn, a groomer who works in another barn at the Raceway, told The Cincinnati Enquirer he believes the fire killed his two closest friends, also groomers.

The fire was reported just before 5 a.m. By the time firefighters reached the building, the 250-by-80-foot barn was a mass of flames.

Shane Cartmill, a spokesman for the state fire marshal, said the cause had not been identified, but investigators had ruled out arson.

The fire was the fourth since 1990 at the Raceway in southwest Ohio. The track is owned by Warren County and is located at the Warren County Fairgrounds.

In 1990, a blaze blamed on a water heater killed 35 horses, while fires in 1993 and 1997 caused no human or animal deaths.

Winn said he and the two dead men shared what they had.

"We stuck together," he said "They were two of the best friends I ever had. I just don't know how I'm going to be able to go on without them."