Trailer fire kills six horses on their way to begin training at Belmont Park

BY Jerry Bossert and Joe Kemp
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Sunday, April 17th 2011, 4:00 AM
A cigarette tossed by a passing driver likely sparked the fire in the horse trailer on Interstate 95.
WRAL-TV
A cigarette tossed by a passing driver likely sparked the fire in the horse trailer on Interstate 95.

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Six racehorses traveling to Belmont Park to begin training died on a North Carolina highway in a blaze sparked by a cigarette flicked into their trailer by a passing motorist.

The young thoroughbreds were trapped in the flames after a bundle of hay ignited on Interstate-95 in Rocky Mount shortly before 10 p.m. Friday, North Carolina Highway Patrol officials told WRAL-TV.

Troopers suspect a lit cigarette tossed from a car touched off the deadly blaze.

The Loraine Course Transport tractor-trailer, which had started out in Florida, was heading north when the driver saw smoke pouring from the horses' stalls, the news station reported.

The driver woke her back-up driver and pulled the rig over. The two tried to knock down the flames, but the blaze quickly swept through the trailer, killing the horses, officials said.

One of the drivers received minor injuries.

The powerful steeds, all about 2 years old, were scheduled to start training at the Long Island horse track with their new owners and prepare for their first starts.

Sources said that one equine was purchased by Barry Schwartz, the Bronx-born businessman who helped Calvin Klein build his multibillion-dollar enterprise. Schwartz is the former president of the New York Racing Association.

The other horses were purchased by well-known trainers Mike Hushion, Richard Schosberg and Rudy Rodriguez.

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Read more: www.nydailynews.com/news/2011/04/17/2011...k.html#ixzz1Jsf8JZBb

Pisses me off to no end when smokers toss their cigarette butts in the street. The act like its not litter.

Dis-fucking-gusting.

what's the point of opening exact duplicate threads here and on pz, neg? seems like you're trying to homogenize both places; remember phil opened this board in part because he doesn't particularly like the level of discourse over there...

Because there are people here that are not on the Philzone that might want to know.

What is the point of having different newspapers and other media outlets?

That's horrible. When are people going to learn. Carelessness can result in tragedy.

It's not carelessness,it's a sense of self-entitlement. They can do what they want regardless of effects on others.

shit pisses me off...and im a smoker!! Seriously, theres ash trays in every car (usually) and if not, then you can buy one from the dollar store to go in ur cup holder. I scream at my friends when they flick them out the window cuz 1) its littering & 2) can start fires...they think im crazy but those filters take forever to degrade...one of the things i have to do at work is sweep up everybody elses butts and ppl (not everyone) are slobs.

That is horrible. I'm embarrassed to admit that I used to do the same ting back when I smoked. So glad I quit.

thats f***ked up.
why weren't the horses in a barn ?
was the trailer moving ?
and didn't the driver have a fire extinguisher ?

im so sick of seeing people throw butts on the ground.