McMahon Grateful Fire Did Not Take Any Lives

In its 55 years of existence, McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds had never experienced a fire. So when one did occur July 5, founder Joe McMahon said he is grateful there was no loss of life. "It could have been worse," said McMahon "Could have been people or horses, it could have spread. We've got a broodmare barn that's not that far away from here, from where the fire was. So we're pretty fortunate with that. I'd say we're very fortunate. I'll take it. I'll take (losing) all the stuff that gets destroyed that we can replace anytime over a life or horses." McMahon said the fire at the Saratoga Springs, N.Y., farm was still ongoing as of late Sunday afternoon. The fire destroyed two hay barns that could hold 4,000 to 5,000 "big 1,000-pound bales," McMahon explained. "Our biggest challenge that we have right now is finding enough space to store the rest of the hay that hasn't been cut yet," he said. McMahon said that most years the hay barns would be full but, because there had been so much rain this spring, the barns were only a third full. The fire also destroyed several smaller buildings, including a maintenance garage for the breeding and training operation's equipment. The source of the fire is not known and McMahon thinks he will probably never know. He said hay was being moved into storage Saturday and guessed that there might have been a spark from a tractor. In a statement posted online earlier Sunday, McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds thanked the community for "coming together in such an incredible way," which helped "ensure the situation wasn't worse."