KENT, Wash. — A fire killed seven horses in a Kent barn early Monday morning. A neighbor told KIRO 7 he was returning from errands at 7:30 a.m. when he saw the flames and called 911.
“I came up the street and saw the smoke coming out of the barn,” John Miller said. “So right away I yelled fire to the neighbors and honked my horn.”
Kent Regional Fire Capt. Kyle Ohashi told KIRO 7 they got the call at 7:39 a.m. and firefighters had to take a defensive approach as soon as they got there.
“The barn was so engulfed in flames when we got there,” Ohashi said. “There was no chance any of the horses were going to be able to survive.”
Miller’s property is right next door on SE 204th Place. He knew there were seven horses in the barn and got emotional telling KIRO 7 how he tried to get them out.
“And I couldn’t get in to get the horses,” Miller said as he teared up. “I could hear them whining in there.”
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The family that owned the barn and the horses have been here about 20 years. KIRO 7 talked to family members off camera. They were very emotional and understandably didn’t want to comment.
Neighbors told KIRO 7 the seven horses were fixtures in the annual Torchlight Parade in Seattle, but the family that owned the property haven’t confirmed that.
The flames scorched trees on Miller’s property, and he worried it could spread to the whole neighborhood. But firefighters contained it to the barn, sparing any injuries to people or other animals. Still, the death of seven horses is tough on them.
“Any type of death, of course people most of all, but animals, pets,” Ohashi said. “All of those things affect us all.”
Fire investigators are now trying to figure out what caused it.