Horses rescued as fire destroys stables at Goshen Historic Track

CeFaan Kim Image
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Horses rescued as fire destroys stables at Goshen Historic Track
CeFaan Kim reports on the fire in Goshen.

GOSHEN, New York (WABC) -- Firefighters in Orange County battled a three-alarm fire at Goshen Historic Track Wednesday night.

With smoke spewing into the roadway and flames raging out of control, the fire started inside one barn and then spreading to another.

Firefighters in Goshen Wednesday night could only do so much.

The three-alarm fire at the Goshen Historic Track burned next to the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame.

Museum director Janet Terhune was forced to watch the devastating loss of a National Historic Landmark.

"All the horses are out safely. The end barn here is the blacksmith shop and it looks like that's a total disaster too," Terhune said.

That is the good news. There was no loss of life and the horses were rescued.

"I just rushed over to see what the hell is going on and I saw like horses were still in the barns," said Charles Peralo, Good Samaritan. "So a bunch of people just started rushing over and we were like grabbing the horses."

Peralo is one of many who ran into a smoke filled barn.

"The horses were in a lot of panic when we got here. There was a couple of other people who walked by," Peralo said. "One of them actually broke their nose got their lip cut open, the horse kicked him."

"Everybody banded together because that's what we do," Terhune said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Firefighters would remain on the scene into the night putting out hot spots.

Museum director Janet Terhune and eyewitness Charles Peralo talk about the fire at the Goshen Historic Track and rescuing at least 16 horses.