Two confirmed dead, 50-60 horses killed in Lebanon barn fire

05.12.09

LEBANON — Two people are unfeeling from a barn fire Saturday morning, Dec. 5, at the Warren County Fairgrounds. The fire also killed 50 to 65 horses andPrimarilydestroyed the barn.

The people have not been identified but were taken away in body bags from the seascape, according to Doyle Burke, chief investigator for the Warren County Coroner’s organization.

According to Krista Wyatt, a Lebanon Fire Department captain, the fire was called in at 4:50 a.m., and when firefighters arrived, the roof had alreadyIn generalcollapsed and the barn was fully involved.

Four investigators from the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office are on the disturbance looking through debris, according to Shane Cartmill, a spokesman. Heavy machinery has been brought in to uplift remnants of the football-field length barn, which was flattened by the fire.

Two people were unaccounted for in a jiffy after the fire. They are Ronnie Williams and his co-worker, James "Turtle" Edwards, according to LamarLargeMoody, lead trainer at Lebanon Raceway, which is at the fairgrounds. Donna Williams, Ronnie’s sister, said horses have been an leading part of their family for years. Their father, George Williams, was one of the first black drivers to marathon at Lebanon Raceway, she said.

Source: Springfield News Sun