Barn Fire At Wisconsin Rescue Kills 24 Horses

A barn fire has killed 24 horses at a horse rescue facility in Wisconsin, leaving the rescue operators in desperate need of help.

Fire took hold of a barn at the Humane Organization Rescuing and Saving Equines (HORSE) rescue in Footville on the morning of November 24th, after a presumed electrical fault. The operator of the rescue, Jim Bondowski, was made aware of the fire when he noticed a group of horses running in their pasture, and he and his wife managed to save seven horses before fire engulfed the barn. Firefighters from Footville and Orfordville fire departments were dispatched to the fire at 8:42 a.m., according to a Rock County Communications dispatcher.

Most of the horses at the leased barn were rescued horses, and others were owned by Bondowski himself. The seven horses that were saved from the barn and another 22 horses that were pastured at the time are being cared for at a nearby livery barn, but the destroyed barn’s owners do not intend to rebuild – leaving Bondowski and his rescue organization without any long-term accommodation.

The horses that the Humane Organization Rescuing and Saving Equines organization houses are rescued from abusive owners, according to Bondowski, and are rehabilitated and prepared for adoption by them. Now Jim and his wife Cindy are appealing to the public for help in providing long-term accommodation or other resources for their rescued horses.

Photo courtesy Humane Organization Rescuing and Saving Equines

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