by John Pawlak, USTA marketing director

Columbus, OH — A possible tragedy was averted last week at the Delaware County (OH) Fairgrounds, where quick action by those on the backstretch were able to extinguish a barn fire before it spread.

Quick thinking by a number of people got horses out of their stalls, put fire extinguishers to work, attached an emergency fire hose to a nearby hydrant and deployed it, and summoned the local fire department.

It took between 15 and 20 minutes to put the flames out and thus ensure all were safe, but had the incident happened one hour earlier, before most of the backstretch workers had arrived for the day, there would likely have been a terrible tragedy.

The fire was first attributed to a faulty extension cord, but later said to have been caused by a faulty refrigerator compressor.

Donna Williams, who notified the USTA Web Newsroom of the incident, suggested that everyone — in every barn, everywhere — regularly follow a checklist to help eliminate possible causes of fire:

• Use only heavy-duty electrical cords — and only sparingly.
• Unplug heaters, fans, radios and other such things when leaving the barn.
• Do not store paint, turpentine or other flammable liquids in the barn.
• Observe strict no smoking policies at all times.

Wise words, indeed.