TORONTO – A coach at the Toronto stables where 16 horses were killed in a fire early Monday morning says she is “beyond devastated” by the loss.
In a Facebook post shared by Ontario Equestrian, the province’s athletic association, Sue Iwan wrote that the horses were wonderful teachers and friends.
She thanked everyone who reached out to the team at Sunnybrook Stables following the fire to offer condolences and assistance.
Firefighters were called to the Sunnybrook Stables at Sunnybrook Park, which is located west of Leslie Street and north of Eglinton Avenue East, by a resident of a nearby apartment building.
When they arrived at the stables at about 3 a.m., firefighters said they found one barn fully engulfed in flames and another starting to burn.
Iwan said 13 horses were taken to safety and are being housed at the Horse Palace in Exhibition Place.
She said the surviving horses have been checked by a vet and are doing well.
The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to probe the fire.
According to the Sunnybrook Stables website, it said the business has been operating for more than three decades.
—With files from Nick Westoll