Nov. 23--The remains of a white stable continued to smolder Sunday morning after an extra-alarm fire killed 32 horses and injured a firefighter Saturday night in unincorporated McHenry County.
Owners of Valley View Acres horse stable at 5116 Mount Thabor Road near Woodstock gazed in disbelief at the charred frame of the stable Sunday morning, tears running down their cheeks.
Amber Bauman, one of the stable managers, gathered with other horse owners and cried outside her home as smoke continued to rise from the building. She said 32 horses had perished in the fire. Her family owned some of the horses, and others were being boarded at the stable.
"This is the first time in 35 years I don't own a horse. I don't know what to do anymore," Bauman said.
The fire started at 10:53 p.m. Saturday, according to a statement from Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department. Bauman said her family 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.
"Imagine being 15 and seeing something like that," Bauman said. "This is all my kids know, and it's gone."
When first responders arrived Saturday night, they saw a big portion of the T-shaped stable in flames, according to the statement.
Five horses escaped the flames and were found later in a pasture.
A firefighter suffered minor injuries during the fire and was treated and released from a local hospital.
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.
Bauman said the stable and horses are insured, but that did not offer much solace as she watched the remains of her livelihood become ash Sunday.
Chicago Tribune photographer Stacey Wescott contributed.
