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Criminal intent ruled out as cause of barn fire that killed 2 people, 43 horses

This map shows the location of Barn 16 at the Warren County Fairgrounds, where a fire killed two people and 44 horses early Saturday morning, Dec. 5, 2009.

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Ron Alvey/Two people are dead and more than 40 horses were killed early Saturday, Dec. 5 in a barn fire at the Warren County Fairgrounds.

By Chris Magan, Staff Writer Updated 8:53 PM Saturday, December 5, 2009

LEBANON — The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal ruled out criminal intent as the cause of Saturday’s fatal fire at the Warren County Fairgrounds.

The tight-knit horse community was shocked by the morning fire that ripped through the stable killing two men and 43 horses.

The fire originated in the northwest corner one of the barns and then spread throughout the rest of the barn.

The specific origin of the fire will not be released until at least Monday, according to Shane Cartmill, public information officer for the Division of the State Fire Marshal.

The cause of the fire is still undetermined.

“Everyone is just devastated about this,” said Bill Schroeder, the attorney for the Warren County fair board. “People were not supposed to be in there overnight.”

The fire call came in at 4:50 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 just hours before tens of thousands of spectators poured into the historic Lebanon downtown for the 21st Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade and Christmas Festival.

Dozens of firefighters from 10 area departments fought the blaze that burned for hours in the football field-long barn near the Lebanon Raceway track, said Krista Wyatt, Lebanon fire captain.

The raceway is located at 665 N. Broadway Street.

Police will not confirm names of the dead, horse owner say they know who they are

Fire investigators are working closely with the Warren County Coroner’s Office to identify the two victims pulled from the debris.

Preliminary information from autopsies may be available by Sunday, but the coroner’s office says it could take several days before complete information is available to investigators.

Horse owners believed two trainers, Ronnie Williams and James “Turtle” Edwards, were in the barn, which sits on the west side of the race track, when it caught fire.

Lamar Moody, lead trainer at Lebanon Raceway, a harness racing track based at the fairgrounds, said two of his employees were not accounted for.

It is unclear why the two men were in the barn so early in the morning and some owners speculated they may have been sleeping there. Track officials declined comment and cancelled races for the day.

“There was a sign on the building that said people we not supposed to sleep in there,” said Victor Gray, a Lebanon resident who lost three horses.

Horse owners and track regulars stood stunned as they watched heavy machinery peal back the metal roof of the collapsed structure so firefighters could sift through the debris and extinguished what remained of the blaze.

“It’s terrible,” said Mary Coven, who owns horses stabled in one of the fairgrounds 19 barns.

None of the 43 horses killed were scheduled to trot in the Horse-Drawn Carriage Parades that went on as scheduled at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The parades drew tens of thousands of spectators to the historic downtown that’s just blocks away from the fire scene.

The two men believed killed were described by friends as dedicated horsemen.

Ronnie Williams was a legend around the track. His father, George Williams, was one of the first black drivers at the harness racing track, said his sister Donna Williams. She confirmed her brother was unaccounted for early Saturday.

James “Turtle” Edwards got his nickname because he walked at a leisurely pace and his nose resembled that of the tortoise from the Bugs Bunny cartoon, which proves slow and steady wins the race.

“They were great guys who would do anything for you,” said Perry Lambert, a track regular.

Investigators could not confirm the identities of the two men pulled from the barn after it was destroyed by the early morning fire. No one was supposed to be in the stables overnight and it is unclear if the two men were working early or sleeping there.

“That will definitely be part of our investigation,” said Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the Ohio State Fire Marshal. “We are very early on in the investigation.”

Authorities don’t believe anyone else was in the wood and metal pole barn, but won’t be sure until after they search through the debris, Cartmill said. The investigation will be more difficult because horse and human remains are similar, he said.

Determining the cause of the blaze could take weeks, Cartmill added. The building was a complete loss and damages are estimate at more than $100,000.

Firefighters from 10 area departments fought the fire for hours. A nearby resident called in the blaze at 4:50 a.m. Lebanon police could not release recordings of the emergency calls because proper personnel were not available on the weekend, said Pat Clements, city manager.

Both victims were pulled from the northern section of the football field-length barn that could house up to 80 animals. The 66-acre fairgrounds holds up to 600 horse at any given time.

There are more than 20 barns on the property, which is owned by Warren County, but operated by two companies, Miami Valley and Lebanon Trotting.