Fire at Zeewolde riding school; 18 horses killed

A large fire in a horse stable in Zeewolde killed 18 horses overnight. Two animals could be saved, a spokesperson for the fire brigade told NU.nl.

The fire brigade responded to the blaze on Bosruiterweg at around 00:30 a.m. The fire started in the stable’s roof and quickly spread.

Firefighters managed to get it under control in around 90 minutes but couldn’t save the building. They let it burn down in a controlled manner, keeping an adjacent home and barn wet to prevent the fire from spreading.

The stable housed horses belonging to multiple people. Zeewolde Mayor Gerrit Jan Gorter told Omroep Flevoland that several owners and some young people tried to get the horses out of the stable, but most of the animals proved too terrified to cooperate. “So two came outside, but unfortunately, the rest died,” the mayor said.