There were no serious injuries, equine or human, in an early-morning fire confined to a multi-purpose building at The Thoroughbred Center on Paris Pike outside of Lexington.
More than 75 firefighters battled the blaze, fanned by a high winds, which broke out around 8:15 a.m. and lasted better than two hours. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Lexington Fire Department Major Lee Hayden said that a second alarm was circulated given the aggressive nature of the fire. The paper reported that around 9 a.m., an alarm was sounded alerting firefighters to leave the building as the blaze began to heat up. Firemen resorted to battling the flames from ladder units.
The fire was reported to be under control as of 10:30 a.m., though crews remained on the scene checking for hot spots. At 2 p.m., Paris Pike was reopened to vehicular traffic.
The Thoroughbred Center is owned by Keeneland and maintains a pair of training tracks and offers other equine services. The building, which housed some offices and apartments as well as Central Kentucky Tack and Leather, suffered heavy smoke and water damage and lost most of its roof. The flames never reached the main offices of The Thoroughbred Center, which is connected to the multi-purpose building by a breezeway.
While no serious injuries were reported, a female employee at the center suffered smoke inhalation, but refused medical attention. A male firefighter was transported to the hospital after inhaling smoke, but was released uninjured.
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