Nearby: More Than a Dozen Horses Killed in Barn Fire

More than a dozen horses perished in an overnight Thanksgiving morning fire in extreme southeast Cherokee County.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the fire at New Vintage Farm at 2625 Cox Road near Woodstock also destroyed the barn at the facility.

Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, along with Woodstock and Roswell fire departments were all dispatched around 11:32 p.m. Wednesday, said Cherokee fire spokesperson Tim Cavender.

The Chronicle of the Horse notes rescuers were able to save 20 horses, but 15 horses died in the fire at the farm owned by Julie Curtin. Cavender also said two miniature donkeys and Chihuahua also perished in the blaze.

Curtin told The Chronicle that she was in Tennessee when she got the call about the fire.

“I was in Gatlinburg, Tenn., having Thanksgiving with my boyfriend [Jeff Green] and his family, so when we got the call we jumped in the car and drove while the guys were working,” she said. “When I got there my assistant Amy Barrett, the guys, my mom and stepdad were there and the fire department. The guys were incredible—they kept going in until they couldn’t breathe any more. They had their own horses there as well as show horses, and they were pulling out show horses before their own.”

The cause and origin of the fire has yet to be determined by officials with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services.

New Vintage Farms on Thursday wrote on its Facebook page that it’s “overwhelmed and unbelievably thankful” for the outpouring of support it received in the hours after he fire.

“As many of you know, we have lost our barn and many of our horses due to a fire last night,” the farm wrote. “We are very saddened by this, but we know we will rebuild and be stronger than ever.”

Since the farm has “lost everything,” the surviving horses have been relocated to the Wills Park Equestrian Center.

Anyone who wishes to help can send items needed to care for the surviving horses to the Center at 11915 Wills Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

Please note to include Attn: Julie Curtin or Amy Barrett on the shipping label.

Additionally, a GoFundMe website has been set up to help the farm and has garnered just over $44,000 as of Friday morning.

Photo credit: Tim Cavender