HUGE fires in California are reported to have claimed the lives of up to 25 horses. The California Horse Racing Board said in a statement on Thursday that an estimated 30 horses perished in the wildfire that struck the San Luis Rey Downs training centre in northern San Diego county on Thursday afternoon.

Appeals were made on social media for all available horsemen and transporters to go to the area and video footage was posted on line of a groom named as Leo Tapia letting loose a barn of thoroughbreds as the fires approached. The horses were evacuated to Del Mar racetrack.

On Friday afternoon up to 850 horses have been received at Del Mar.

The racing board's statement said eight barns were lost on the property. In many barns, stable staff raced through the barns to force horses out of their stalls and onto other sections of the property.

Daily Racing Form reported that television images from San Diego stations showed horses running in a herd around the stable area and on the racetrack through very thick smoke. Trainers also posted names of horses missing in the melee on social media with the hope of locating some that had been let loose wearing their halters with their names on them.

The most severe sections of the fire moved away from the training centre later officials allowed horse vans onto the property to begin the process of evacuating the racehorses to Del Mar, about 35 miles away.