TEMPLETON — An equestrian center in Templeton was severely damaged in a six-alarm fire Thursday night.
The Gardner Fire Department said in a Facebook post that crews responded to a call around 9:09 p.m. reporting heavy fire in the horse barn which had extended into the adjacent home at Liberty-Belle Stables, which is located at 551 Patriots Road.
Liberty-Belle Stables is a boarding and lesson farm that includes a barn, an indoor riding arena, and a residence.
Fire officials reported that all of the horses were safely removed from the barn.
“A lot of the owners of the horses have come here to help,” Deputy Chief Rick Paine of the Templeton Fire Department told a reporter from WCVB. “We have, I think they said, approximately 23 horses out back — and there’s one to two people with each horse. We’re keeping them in a safe place out back.”
At 4:35 a.m. Friday morning, Liberty-Belle Stables posted to their Facebook page asking for the public to share positive memories “or someway that Liberty-Belle has touched your life.”
“So many memories at this barn. It’s where I learned to ride 30 years ago,” Staci Vaillancourt wrote in the comments section of the stable’s post. “It began my love for horses, which is still a huge part of my life. My heart hurts for everyone involved. I know how much blood, sweat, and tears went into this for you guys, but more importantly, how much heart 
.”
