Rachel Mergen

La Crosse Tribune, Wisconsin.

(TNS)

Two horses were killed and five people lost their homes in a fire Thursday at the Minnesota Equestrian Center south of Winona.

Authorities were still working Thursday evening with the owner to account for all horses that were on the property at the time.

“We think there were only two,” Winona County Emergency Management Director Ben Klinger said of the horses that died in the fire.

Klinger, who is also Goodview’s deputy fire chief, didn’t know exactly how many horses were on the property when the fire broke out, but said there were “a lot.”

No one was injured in the fire that was first reported at 11:56 a.m. at 24621 Gilmore Valley Road, but five people were displaced.

The fire destroyed apartments in the center’s main building, which also included offices and other equipment used by the Center.

Displaced residents receive assistance.

“They were offered the Red Cross, but the owner put them up in a hotel and helped them for the night,” Klinger said.

The apartments and offices were located in the north part of the main building, facing Highway 21, where the fire was concentrated, Klinger said.

The Wilson Fire Department was the first agency on scene and firefighters were able to prevent the fire from burning the main arena.

Mutual aid fire departments were called to help fight the blaze Thursday, including those from Winona, Ridgeway, Goodview, Rushford, Kellogg, St. Charles and Lewiston. Some organizations have been called upon to provide tankers.

Winona Area Ambulance, the Winona County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol also assisted at the scene.

The Fire Marshal will work with the Wilson Fire Department to determine the cause.

The Minnesota Equestrian Center, owned and operated by Jessica Rivers, features several interconnected barns, two indoor and two outdoor arenas, stables, 356 stalls and much more.

Events and competitions take place at the establishment all year round.

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