During last night, July 11, a fire broke out in the stables of the historic Saint-Lô stud farm. The fire engulfed two of the eight stable blocks, with 68 firefighters and 22 engines attending who brought the blaze under control and prevented it from spreading, but not before the buildings suffered significant damage. All the horses were safely evacuated and accommodated in another stable block.
The prestigious stud farm, which is the pride of the Normandy town of Saint-Lô, was built by Napoleon in 1806, and housed over 400 stallions at the beginning of the last century. The institution was privatized in 2013, then sold to a diverse consortium, although it has been going through a difficult economic period.
The damage and the future of some of the historic framework has still to be assessed, but may need to be demolished.
