A seemingly ordinary afternoon turned into an apocalyptic scenario in Treviso, when around 4pm yesterday, 16 June, the sky above Viale Felissent was suddenly darkened by a dense and threatening black cloud. The flames broke out with unprecedented violence inside one of the historic stables of the Sant’Artemio racecourse, located precisely in the hamlet of Fontane di Villorba.
The start of the fire, instantly fueled by the huge quantities of hay and dry straw crammed into the boxes, generated unbearable heat. The fury of the fire compromised the integrity of the building in just a few minutes, causing the partial collapse of the supporting structure. The 115 switchboards were literally bombarded with phone calls from frightened residents, while the column of smoke remained visible even from kilometers away.
The dramatic outcome and the rescue efforts
Despite the promptness of the rescue efforts, the final toll is heartbreaking: six horses died. The specimens remained trapped inside their individual stalls, unable to escape the lethal grip of the toxic fumes. The massive intervention of the firefighters, who arrived on site with five heavy vehicles and twenty specialized operators from the Treviso and Conegliano barracks, prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent stables. Unfortunately, for the six equines every attempt was in vain: the suffocation caused by the thick smoke killed them before the firefighters could break down the barriers and rescue them. Fortunately, no injured or intoxicated people were reported among the artillerymen and staff of the sports facility.
The mystery about the causes
Investigations to shed light on the dynamics have already been started by the Carabinieri and the local police, who arrived on site together with the mayor of Villorba, Francesco Soligo. However, a deep mystery remains about the real origins of the disaster. The director of the racecourse, Stefano Bovio, said he was deeply shocked and unable to give himself a logical explanation: the security staff had regularly deactivated the main switch of the electrical panel before leaving. Furthermore, the last manure removal and cleaning operations in the area were concluded around 1.30pm without recording the slightest anomaly. The reasons for the outbreak of the fire therefore remain a real mystery that the technicians of the fire investigation unit are called upon to solve.
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