Officials: Matches Likely To Blame In St. Michael Barn Fire
ST, MICHAEL, Minn. (WCCO) – Fire officials say a barn fire in St. Michael that injured a man and killed three horses on Monday was likely the result of a careless use of matches.
The fire happened at Grace Farms, a boarding and training facility. The owner of the farm, Chris Leatherdale, is in critical condition after getting severely burned trying to save the horses.
The main barn and a nearby arena were destroyed by the flames. The farm was undergoing a change in ownership.
Leatherdale and his wife, Becca, own Grace Farms. They board horses and offer horse riding lessons.
"This has got to be the most trying thing they've ever gone through," said Jill Avery, who keeps a horse at Grace Farms. "The most important thing is Chris' recovery. He is the one injured saving the horses. He is the type you knew would risk his life to save horses."
Avery has boarded her horse at Grace Farms for three years. She says the owners were in the process of selling the business, and the new owner was scheduled to take over in June.
A couple of months ago, she became concerned about the care of her horse.
"In the last few months, there's been concerns about lack of hay, lack of care, the horses getting out," Avery said.
She's also been worried about the possibility of a fire.
"They did have some issues with children of theirs, that we were all concerned of," she said.
She said the children were unsupervised "quite a bit" when they played in the barn.
Avery says two of the horses that died belonged to the Leatherdales.
"Chris needs prayer," she said. "He is a wonderful man who's been badly injured, doing what he thought was best, getting those horses out and risked his life for them."
Fire investigators have interviewed several witnesses, including a group of young adults and some children.
She says the fire was tough to fight because there are no hydrants near the farm so they had to haul in water.
