Valley View Acres is a family-owned business that breeds and shows horses throughout the state and country. Owners say what was lost in a stable fire was so much more than just a business.
"I'm kind of numb right now," Amber Bauman, the owner of Valley View Acres, said. "This is my livelihood."
Devastation doesn't describe it. Bauman also lives at Valley View Acres, a horse boarding and training facility in Woodstock. Shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday, her son woke up to see flames surrounding the family's barn. Inside were 37 horses. Only five made it out alive.
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"I lost my best friend in there. I've had her for 35 years," Bauman said of her horse Eve. "She was in homecoming parades in high school. She was my show horse. My kids all got to ride her."
Today, friends and horse owners dropped by to tearfully survey what was left while fire crews stayed on scene to cool hot spots. Investigators estimate the loss could total more than $1 million.
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"It's devastating and heartbreaking for all of us and the entire horse community," Bauman said.
Fire officials say they had difficulty fighting this blaze because of the lack of hydrants in this area. It took help from 27 different departments to put the fire out.
Katie Mason was lucky. She had a horse in the stable, but hers is one of the few who survived. Mason said she's lucky, but she also feels a deep loss.
"You have your bag of apples and carrots and half goes to your horse and half goes to everyone else's and you do, you form a bond with other horses," Mason said.
One firefighter went to the hospital for minor injuries but was treated and released. The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department, the McHenry County Sheriff's Office and the state fire marshal were investigating the cause of the fire.
