WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — All horses are accounted for after a fire broke out at one of the barns at The Big E late Friday night.
The West Springfield Fire Department got nearly 30 emergency calls to The Big E grounds starting around 11:45 p.m. reporting the fire, less than an hour after the fairgrounds closed for the day.
Responding crews found the C Barn on fire, and the animals were immediately evacuated.
The Mountain View Training Center from Granby, Mass., has horses at the multi-week fair, and someone from their group rushed to let those horses loose from their stalls to get them away from the fire.
"Jordan was our hero as she went into the smoke and let all our horses out," The training center posted on social media Saturday morning.
A total of 161 horses are safe, though some have minor injuries, fire officials said.
Mountain View thanked the New England horse community as they helped search for the loose horses into early Saturday morning.
Organizers of The Big E said the "minor" fire won't delay or cancel any of the events happening Saturday, including the 4-H Horse Show in the Coliseum.
"We are grateful for the prompt response from our team and authorities, plus all exhibitors who are supporting each other during this transition," The Big E said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The West Springfield Police Dept., along with Massachusetts State Police, MEMA, exhibitors and Eastern States Exposition assisted the fire department.
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