The devastating fires that have recently affected California have not only claimed the lives of humans and their property but have also claimed the lives of many horses.
While humans are able to flee, many horses were unable to leave the stables they were in and ended up burning to death.
The Lilac Fire that burned through San Diego’s San Luis Rey Downs Training Center in Bonsall killed about 46 of the 500 horses that were stabled there, according to CBS 8.
There are at least six horses who have disappeared. Some missing horses, like the award-winning Conquest Typhoon, were, thankfully, found and treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
A total of 800 horses, including those at San Luis Rey, were housed in facilities in that area.
The reason why many of these horses are still alive is that many of the staff at these facilities risked their own lives to save the horses.
San Luis Rey Downs horse trainers Joe Herrick and Martine Bellocq suffered burns to their entire body in their attempt to rescue some of the elite horses, according to San Diego 7.
Bellocq reportedly sustained second and third-degree burns over 50 percent of the body while she was trying to save the lives of six horses and is in a medically induced coma in critical condition.
Herrick received second-degree burns on his arm while trying to save horses on the property.
David Jerkens of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club told San Diego 7 that he knew them both to be “very generous, caring people. In the years that I’ve known them again, they just exemplify what a horseman is… that’s their life.”
In the midst of the blaze horse groomer, Leo Tapia decided to Facebook Live the awful scene where people were desperately trying to rescue horses among thick smoke. That video has been viewed and shared almost 300,000 times.
“I was just scared, but I wasn’t thinking,” he told News 10. “It was too fast, everything.”
Tapia said that he opened the stable doors during the hectic scene in order to give the horses a chance to escape.
His efforts saved at least 20 horses.
“I love them because I work with them every day,” he said. “They are like my children. I love them.”
Unfortunately, six of the horses he works with didn’t make it out alive.
The San Diego County Disaster Recovery manager Amy Harbert told San Diego that 104 residential and two commercial structures were destroyed in the Lilac Fire along with 78 accessory structures like barns, sheds, and outbuildings. You can watch Leo’s video below.
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