by Mike Timmons, director of racing, Cumberland Raceway

Cumberland, ME — At 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning (March 9) it sounded as if we were under some kind of attack. When I opened my door to leave to feed my horses the blacksmith shop at the Cumberland County (Maine) Fairgrounds was in full blaze.

None of the 250 horses stabled on the Fairgrounds were harmed but the shower of ambers falling on the rooftop left some unsettling moments. The building and its contents were a total loss.

Don Richards and Wallace Watson, stabled beside the shop, have a barn full of expensive stakes and raceway horses who became very excited. My first thought was how will it be possible to get these horses to a safe place if it does catch fire. The excellent members of the Cumberland Fire Department arrived and took that fear away. Firefighters were able to knock the blaze down within 10 to 15 minutes, but were on the scene for an hour.

Fire Chief Dan Small said the cause of the fire was undetermined. He estimated damage could cost as much as $40,000.

— with files from The (Falmouth, Maine) Forecaster