Crews fight Minnesota Equestrian Center fire for 8 hours, 3 animals killed

A fire in Winona caused significant damage to the Minnesota Equestrian Center, and fire investigators are working to determine what started the blaze.

According to the Wilson Fire Department, the fire was called in around 11:55 a.m. Thursday.

The equestrian center consists of a complex of barns and show arenas that are interconnected together and have attached entrances.

When fire crews arrived, they found a barn in the structure was fully engulfed and the attached residence “heavily involved in fire.”

Due to the size of the fire, it was decided by fire crews to remove a breezeway that connected the arena with a bulldozer to prevent the fire from spreading further.

The Wilson Fire Department said it took nearly eight hours for 100 personnel to bring the emergency to a resolution, with an estimated 120,000 gallons of water pumped onto the fire and over 50 round trips from tanker operators to water sources to haul water to the scene.

While no fire personnel or people were injured in the incident, three animals were killed in the fire – two horses and a cat.

The arena, according to the fire department, the arena received minimal damage. However, the barn and residence building were a total loss.

Of the 128,000 square feet that make up the equestrian center, 31,000 square feet of it were completely lost, while another 45,000 received minor smoke and heat damage.

“The majority of those people were volunteers who left their jobs or families, canceled appointments or skipped their errands to respond to this fire,” the Wilson Fire Department said in a statement. “The volunteer fire service as a whole is struggling to recruit new members to fill gaps in their ranks. Fire like this are exactly why we need a robust, well-prepared volunteer firefighting force in Winona County. Any delays or staffing shortages may have resulted in a much worse outcome in what was already a devastating day for MEC.”

An investigation into the fire is still ongoing, but the Wilson Fire Department says additional information points to the fire not being suspicious.