Barn Collapse Traps Horse and Mule

ASHTON, Md. - A powerful storm ripped the roof from a barn trapping a horse and mule inside. Montgomery County's Urban Search and Rescue team responded to the collapse working for hours to free the animals.

The barn roof collapsed at the Ashton area farm on Layhill Road sometime overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday.

"No one saw it coming," said Tom Lowe, owner of RELS Landscaping, which is on the farm.

Workers left around 8 p.m. Tuesday night. When they returned around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, they found the two animals buried in the debris. The horse and mule were trapped, perhaps more than 10 hours with no one to help.

"One was entangled in the roofing structure and one was knocked to the ground," said Assistant Chief Scott Graham of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.

The mule, named Fred, was protected in the roof's peak, able to stand.

"I don't know how he got up in there but he was a mule," said Graham.

The horse could barely move. The roof came down on the animal, knocking him to the ground. He had a large gash on his head.

"It definitely hit the horse in the back and in the head," said Dr. Lisa Wagner, an equine veterinarian who was called in to help.

The barn was open on all sides, while the owner made repairs. It was supposed to be enclosed Wednesday, but when the storm came through, the now-exposed structure was like an umbrella in the strong winds.

"It had to be a very powerful wind, but it actually picked the structure up enough to make it unsteady and moved it about six feet and then it fell over," said Graham.

Before rescuers arrived, workers tried to lift the roof with farm equipment to relieve the pressure on the animals, who had no room to move.

"They immediately called 911. They knew it was going to require it a little bit more than what they had here," Graham said.

To get to the horse and mule, Dr. Wagner said they had to be heavily sedated. Both were traumatized. First though, the Urban Search and Rescue team needed to shore up what was left of the roof, so they could reach the animals safely.

The mule could be seen pacing slightly in the small enclosed area between the roof's tresses. Firefighters began to saw through the roof. It doesn't take long before the mule gingerly emerges. It walked out on its own, its legs still wobbly and is taken to an unfinished barn nearby to rest and be treated.

Freeing the horse was a more difficult challenge. Rescuers bring in what is called a mechanical advantage system. It is essentially a crank attached to ropes. They slip a giant sling beneath the horse, which is anesthetized, and then hook the rope to it. A dozen or more rescuers, with help from the crank, pull the horse out. The veterinarian checks the horse's vitals and then gives the horse a shot to bring it out of the anesthesia. Slowly the horse's eyes flutter and its nostrils flare, showing signs of life.

"He appeared dehydrated and tired and had been struggling," said Dr. Wagner.

The horse begins to eat and takes a drink of water but it is not enough. The veterinarian says the horse appears to have suffered spinal damage. Its hind legs are not working. After several tries and with several people pulling, the horse still cannot stand. He's 30 years old, the equivalent of a person who is 90.

"I think he gave up on us toward the end," said Dr. Wagner.

The decision is made. Workers arrive with a blue tarp and pull it in front of the cameras. The horse's owner says goodbye.

"There's no reason to make him suffer at this age," said the veterinarian. A few minutes later, she gave the horse a shot and put it to sleep.

The two animals had been together for 10 years. The mule will survive but it is bittersweet. As the owner tended to the mule, nursing it back to health, he leaned over and gave the mule a kiss.