An equestrian center was destroyed in a massive fire overnight in Templeton, Massachusetts.
The Gardner Fire Department said in a Facebook post that they responded to the fire scene shortly after 9 p.m. Liberty-Belle Stables, located on Patriot's Road in Templeton, was fully involved in flames, and an adjacent home was also on fire.
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In total, there are 21 horses at the stable. Six were inside the barn at the time of the fire, and all six were safely removed.
Liberty-Belle Stables said in a Facebook post at 9:42 p.m. that their barn was on fire, but all of the horses had been saved.
The equestrian center posted an update on Friday morning asking people to share happy stories about the stables, or some way it has touched their lives.
"We need all the good memories we can get," it said. "This place was my dream, and I went into it with one of the best instructors out there. I could not ask for a better barn family. We are so grateful to have you all."
"I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my horse," Jessica Bourn-Pereira, the manager at Liberty-Belle Stables, told NBC10 Boston Friday.
"I think because of the first responders being as fast as they were, they single-handedly saved six horses," said Alan Pelkey, who keeps his horse at the stable.
Bourn-Pereira and Pelkey say the community went above and beyond, showing up with trailers and halters to get the animals out.
"I saw 60 to 80 people I've never met before in my life," Pelkey recalled.
Over 100 people had commented on the Facebook posts as of Friday morning, offering support and even assistance in boarding the horses.
Templeton fire officials said 10 neighboring fire departments provided mutual aid. They said the fire actually started in the home and then spread to the horse training facility.
No injuries were reported.
While the horse training facility is a total loss, the house was only partially damaged. One person was displaced as a result of the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
