Fire Damages Building At Suffolk Downs

BOSTON (CBS) -- Firefighters were battling flames and heavy smoke near the horse stables of Suffolk Downs race track Tuesday night.

The fire broke out around 5 p.m. in the kitchen of one of the buildings, according Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer of Suffolk Downs. Fire officials do not expect it to be ruled suspicious.

"The fire is contained to the kitchen building," Tuttle said Tuesday evening. "The Revere Fire Department and the first responders have done a good job containing it."

Tuttle says there were no injuries to people or horses. Horses that were located near the fire were moved to other barns.

The stable area opened on Sunday, March 23 for training to prepare for the start of race season. The official race season begins at Suffolk Downs on Saturday. Tuttle says the track plans to open on schedule.

In February, Revere voted in favor of a Mohegan Sun casino proposal. The casino vote was the second in Revere. In November, voters approved an earlier proposal at the Suffolk Downs racetrack on the Boston-Revere line, but voters in the East Boston neighborhood rejected it.

The plan voted on in February, called for the casino to be built entirely in Revere, on land owned by Suffolk Downs. With casino gambling at Suffolk Downs still up in the air, the track has said the 2014 season could be the last for racing in East Boston.