Bodycam captures officers in New York state rescuing horses from deadly racetrack barn fire
(Video above: Saratoga Springs Police Department via CNN Newsource) —
A police department in New York state has released intense body camera footage showing officers rescuing horses during a fire at a racetrack in June.
Editor’s note: Viewer discretion is advised for the video in the player above
CNN reported that, in the early morning hours of June 16, first responders in Saratoga Springs, New York, rescued more than 300 horses from several different barns amid a fire at the Saratoga Casino Hotel harness racetrack in Saratoga Springs.
In a social media post that included the video in the player above, the Saratoga Springs Police Department said officers with its department arrived to find a barn fully engulfed in flames. With assistance from New York Racing Association security personnel, the officers who responded, identified as Sgt. Wilson, Officers Alexander, Bogdan, Mandala, Nadeau, Rathore, and Sakil, “leapt into action as the flames crept closer.”
Acting quickly, the Saratoga officers rescued “about 10 horses” from a barn that was adjacent to the burning barn.
The officers said that when they arrived, the horses were in their stalls “frozen in fear.”
The police department said that “sadly, 17 horses perished in the fire.”
Police said another horse suffered minor injuries, CNN reported.
Saratoga Springs Police Department, in its post, said the body camera footage “is just a small snippet of the bravery and courage displayed by our team of officers that morning.”
The police department says the video “highlights an unintended benefit of our Mounted Unit; there were officers working who understood the horses’ behaviors, equipment, and communication, and it certainly benefited them in their response.”
The police department also recognized two dispatchers who were working during the fire who “seamlessly handled the heavy demands of an incident this size while also dispatching other calls throughout the city.”
