Woodford barn fire that killed 6 Thoroughbreds caused by heater for water bucket

The fire that killed six Thoroughbred horses and destroyed two barns last week was caused by a water bucket heater, Woodford County fire Chief John Varner said Monday.

The heater is a submersible, electric tool that is put into a bucket of water to keep it from freezing, Varner said. It was unclear whether this particular heater, which was submerged in a plastic bucket, had malfunctioned, he said.

The heater was inside the barn in which the six yearlings died Wednesday at Chanteclair Farm, Varner said.

"This barn didn't have any hot water or anything like that in it," he said.

A neighboring barn containing hay also was destroyed.

The final cause of the fire will be listed as accidental, Varner said. He didn't know the value of the horses or the destroyed property.

A piece of heavy equipment called a track hoe was used Monday to lift metal doors off the ground so the fire department and an insurance investigator could take a closer look at the scene, Varner said.

John Moores, former owner of the San Diego Padres baseball team, and partner Charles Noell bought the farm north of Versailles in 2013, according to several industry publications. The two also bought about 30 Thoroughbreds in Ireland to jump-start their farms. In addition, they bought the former Stonewall Farm in Midway.

Chanteclair Farm was formed by the late Prince Saud bin Khaled in 1995 with the purchase of a 260-acre farm.

Chanteclair is known as the birthplace of Royal Delta, a horse that was also raised there. Royal Delta won three Eclipse Awards and was named champion 3-year-old filly in 2011 and champion older female in 2012 and 2013. She was bought by Ben Leon for $8.5 million at the 2011 Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale.

This story was originally published March 2, 2015 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Woodford barn fire that killed 6 Thoroughbreds caused by heater for water bucket."