Toronto stable fire hits close to home for the owners of Classy Lane stables

The Sunnybrook stable fire brought back grim memories for a stable in Puslinch, where a fire broke out in a barn in 2016 killing 43 horses.

Trainer Chantal Mitchell had a horse running his first race returning that night, she was one of the first on the scene of the fire and she watched helplessly as her other horses died.

“You had to push on, it’s what you know, it’s what you do every day. To all of the sudden to have nothing to do, was so foreign. I had to keep going, keep trying, regroup, restart.”

The names of all 43 horses who died in Barn One are listed on a memorial at Classy lane. They were owned and trained by different people but almost all those people decided to rebuild immediately and they now have new horses in Barn Six.

Officials could only say that the fire was caused by some electrical malfunction, although the metal building and its wiring were up to code.

Today Classy Lane Stables is outfitted with all the fire safety measures the owners could find.