A proactive passerby helped save the lives of eight horses in a burning barn early Sept. 10 at Equestrian Park in College Station, Texas. Sixteen died in the fire due to burns and/or smoke inhalation and three more were euthanized shortly thereafter due to their injuries, said property owner Brazos Joe Varisco. Ten of the barn’s inhabitants were racing Quarter Horses (all of which died in the fire), and the other 17 were boarders.

“This boy (the passerby) was on his way home from work,” said Varisco. “When he went by and saw the fire, he drove in and started letting out as many as he could. One boy was living there (an employee of the fellow who owned the racehorses), but he had no phone. He left to get help, but by the time he got there it was all ablaze. He let out some horses, too.”

When Varisco arrived about 15 minutes after he was called, “It was totally gone,” he said. The cause of the fire has not been determined, but it started in an alleyway where that day’s hay delivery was stacked. “We’re not sure yet if it was a hot bale,” Varisco stated