The barn known as Parlo II West, which included a veterinary clinic operated by Dr. Kathleen Anderson and is used for much of the year by trainer Michael Matz, caught flames at about 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, according to a witness. The fire was under control within 90 minutes. However, the damage had been done with little besides the concrete block walls standing up.
Matz and his horses had moved to Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida, for the winter. Equine Veterinary Care, who shared the barn with the rider, was closed at 4 p.m. because they were on a holiday.
“We appear to have lost everything, but fortunately no horses or people were involved,” Anderson told Paulick Report. “There was a lot of diagnostic equipment: X-rays, ultrasound, the pharmacy, plus medical records.”The fire caused an estimated $850,000 in damage to the barn, according to initial estimates from the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.
"I've only seen pictures because it was during the vacation.... We don't know what the situation is yet," he said Monday. "We're just glad that no people or horses were injured."
The fire started around 6:40 p.m. and appeared to have started in the animal clinic, although an exact cause has yet to be determined, according to the state fire marshal. It took about 50 firefighters nearly two hours to get the fire under control, officials said. The barn was not equipped with a sprinkler system, they told the Cecil Whig newspaper.
Matz was a member of three U.S. Olympic jumping teams and was part of the gold medal winning team at the 1986 World Championships in Aachen, Germany. In horse racing, he is best known as the trainer of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and 2012 Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags.
Sources: The Chronicle Of The Horse / Paulick Report / Thouroughbred Daily News