CORMAC Kennedy, son of Bill and Anna of Kennedy Equine Centre, Tralee, suffered a horrifying tragedy when a barn at his Massachusetts property succumbed to fire on Tuesday.

Seven equines, including Kennedy’s young daughter’s pony, were killed in the fire at the family’s US home and business, Mor Linn Farm. Kennedy and his wife Catherine spoke to The Irish Field in the aftermath of the devastating fire that reduced the barn to rubble but miraculously avoided their nearby historic home which was built in 1760. The cause is yet to be confirmed but is believed to have been lightning.

“A passer-by saw the fire and the smoke just after 11pm and he pulled his car into the driveway and was shouting and honking his horn,” said Catherine. “The house looks onto the barn but the fire was at the backside and there was a storm going on with thunder and lightning, so we didn’t see anything. Cormac and our son Aidan (18) ran straight across the driveway into the main level of the barn, which at that point was filled with smoke, and I ran down the hill and went down into the lower level to start getting horses out of there.

“On the main level, you couldn’t see for the smoke. They couldn’t see the horses, they couldn’t get at the horses, and the ones they tried wouldn’t leave their stalls. My son was trying to save his little sister’s pony that was at the back of the barn, but couldn’t see anything. I don’t think he even had shoes on. Cormac lost sight of him and was screaming at him to come out.

“I got one horse out of the lower level and ran it down towards one of the fields and at that point, Cormac and Aidan had come down and were getting the rest of the horses out, while I was chasing them down the driveway towards the fields.

“Multiple fire departments arrived, the building was completely engulfed in flames at this point, and I took my two daughters (19 and eight) out of the house because I thought the house was going to catch on fire and I didn’t want them being trapped inside, so they had to watch it burn. It was hard because there was thunder and lightning and pouring rain and it just went on and on.

“Cormac was able to get one horse out of the top level of the barn, but even she didn’t want to leave her stall. The horse that I pulled out was the same. I had to drag him out with a chain over his nose. They just seem to panic and shut down, while others were spinning in terror.

“Amazingly, the firefighters were able to save the 16-stall barn next to it with an attached indoor riding arena. The embers were floating off of the burning barn and landing on the roof, I don’t know how but they managed to contain it.

Haunting

“I don’t know if the children have fully processed it, it’s been very hard for my younger daughter. To lose a pony, and to have to watch that happen, it’s a violent thing, it’s horrifying. And for my oldest daughter, it’s going to be very difficult for her to move past. They grew up playing in there, it was an extension of our home. So to watch it be destroyed like that and to know that the animals that they loved were trapped inside, it’s haunting.”

Despite the horror of the fire, the Kennedy’s were comforted by an outpouring of support from the local community and a Go Fund Me page set up by a friend has been doing extremely well.

“We are so lucky to have an incredible network of farm owners in our area who all started contacting us immediately saying that they had stalls or hay or feed, so the horses are at various barns until we can get temporary stabling erected here to bring them home,” Catherine said.

“We still have 16 horses in the newer of the two barns, so we’re still feeding horses every morning and mucking and turning out. People are coming to ride their horses so there is normality in that sense, you don’t get the luxury of just shutting the doors and taking a day off with horses. And we want them to be able to come and see their horses and be comforted by that, and they want to be here to support us. So whatever about the building that was destroyed, the horses are still here and the business carries on.

“I don’t think any of us will ever get over the horses that were lost, or how heartbreaking it is to know that other people lost their horses but now we’re just trying to focus on taking care of the ones that we saved.”

To donate to the family, visit www.gofundme.com/f/support-morlinn-farm.