2 horses killed in fire at unauthorized stable in Southwest Philadelphia
Two horses are dead after a fire at an unauthorized stable in Southwest Philadelphia on Thursday morning, according to police and ACCT Philly.
The fire broke out at a property on the 5800 block of Eastwick Avenue shortly after 7:35 a.m., police said. Firefighters were called to the scene, and the blaze was deemed under control by 8:02 a.m.
ACCT Philly executive director Sarah Barnett said several other horses and animals were being kept at what she described as a "popup stable" at what she claimed was a redevelopment property in the city. She said the stables had no authority to operate.
Barnett said two horses died, including a yearling, and another was "pretty burnt." A pig and a goat are in the care of ACCT Philly.
"I'm really mad. I'm really angry about it because it's something where I know the people who had the horses here care about the horses," Barnett said. "This is not how you keep horses. This is not safe, as evidenced today."
"Horses in the city, you have to keep them a certain way. You have to keep them and treat them well and have the right equipment, everything, for them. And have the right setup for them. Part of that is having a responsible setup for them. It's just really sad that two horses lost their life here."
The Pennsylvania SPCA rescued 12 horses after the early-morning fire. Some were sent to a Chester County animal hospital.
"Several of the horses did go straight to [University of Pennsylvania's] New Bolton [Center] because they were in need of what we would consider critical life-saving care," PSPCA spokesperson Gillian Kocher said.
Friday, Kocher provided an update. Those horses with smoke inhalation were still being monitored but have not shown any signs of damage. The team will have more updates in the coming days regarding the horse that suffered burns. All have been put on refeeding plans to gain needed weight at a healthy speed.
Other horses have been transported to a foster home, the Montgomery County SPCA's Perkiomenville site and the PSPCA's Danville Center.
Drone Watch 3 shows the plywood stables, which are built in a wooded area.
Barnett said that the right part of the stable went up in flames.
"When you have that many flammables, you know hay goes up in flames in a second," Barnett said. "You literally have all the accelerants that you need."
ACCT Philly was called to the property last month after receiving a complaint.
"We were working with the city to get the property posted and get the horses, make sure the owner had awareness that he had to move the horses and get them out," Barnett said.
Barnett said it appears an individual ran a ranch-type business out of the unauthorized stable, where they apparently taught children how to clean and ride horses.
"We're trying to really work with the city to find the best way to go about this because we recognize that people care about these horses, and they're not necessarily mistreated in all these cases," Barnett said. "But we've got to find some sort of medium here because you can't keep horses, you can't just take over a property that isn't being used and decide that it's mine, you're going to build a stable on it. You can't do that."
Gordon Parks, who said he owns Scorpion Horse Ranch, told CBS News Philadelphia that he built the stables and ran the nonprofit, providing an outlet for children and teens. He said he was out of town and not there when the fire happened.
"No, I didn't know the city was looking into me at all," he claimed. "I got the paperwork in for the city to try to get the land for the horses. I just didn't know that things were going to happen the way they happen."
Parks believes the fire was set intentionally.
"What happened today is a tragedy because one of them horses that died was actually born right there," he said.
Several other people who were at the property said they also kept horses at the stable.
"Our officers will investigate to see if there was any cruelty or neglect at play, and if so, where will be appropriate charges," Kocher said.
The Philadelphia Fire Marshal's Office continues to investigate the cause and origin of the fire.
The PSPCA is accepting donations for the horses' care at PSPCA.org/Stablefire.