A barn fire that erupted early Saturday morning, on January 21, in the barn at Heritage Acres owned by Arthur Hahn and his wife, Betty has killed 22 horses.
A neighbor saw the flames and aroused the Hahns, but by then the barn was fully engulfed and by the time fire and police officials arrived it was too late to save the horses that were trapped inside the barn.
According to Hahn, he had secured the barn very carefully on Friday evening because he wanted to protect the horses from the cold weather.
Fire officials are working to determine the cause of the fire, but it appears to be electrical.
Heritage Acres, which was established in 1979, has been the home of many trophy horses that competed and won in shows along the Eastern seaboard. Each of the horses was valued between $10,000 and $60,000.
The large barn that contained an indoor riding ring burned to the ground, leaving only a few wooden beams.
Art Hahn, who is 77, told reporters that he and his wife Betty now plan to sell their property and retire after raising horses for more than half of their lives. "I'm still in shock." he told reporters. "This is just devastating."