24 Horses Killed At Facility Franklin Lakes Man Owns: Reports

FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ — Two dozen racehorses died Saturday in an intense fire at a training facility in Orange County owed by a Franklin Lakes man, according to reports.

The fire was first reported at the Mount Hope Training Center at about 3 a.m., according to the Times Herald-Record. The horses were inside the barn and died.

A worker awoke to flames in one of the facility's 230 stables, News12 reported. About 30 horses were safely evacuated; one ran out of the barn, but later ran back into the barn and died.

Owner Rich Banca told the Times Herald-Record he could not get to the farm because there were so many fire trucks and police there.

"People from the fire department said they could see it from miles away, the glow in the air," Banca said in the report.

The fire was so bad that nobody could get close enough to help the horses, according to the Times Herald-Record.

Vini Tankasali, deputy commissioner of the Orange County Division of Fire Services, could not be reached for comment.

The Mount Hope Training Center is located on 63 acres and is billed as an all-in-one training center with a half-mile track. Horses trained there regularly race at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Several have won races there.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help to support Banca rebuild. The goal is to raise $100 million; $4,500 has been donated in the three days the campaign has been live.

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