4 Horses Die In Thanksgiving Barn Fire In Peotone

PEOTONE, IL — Following a devastating fire in Peotone that destroyed a barn and tractor and killed four horses on Thanksgiving day, a friend of horse trainer Jose Gonzalez set up a GoFundMe page to help him rebuild his barn.

"We all know Jose Gonzalez out here in Peotone, as well as a frequent horse trainer both here at the Illinois racetracks and Indiana," the GoFundMe, posted by friend Sheryl Baird, says. "He wouldn't think twice to help anybody in need."

See the GoFundMe page.

One commenter on the GoFundMe page said Gonzalez "was the only one who made the time" to help out when a colicing mini needed to go to a veterinarian. He "hurried back from the race track in Indiana," the comment says.

A horse owner named Erica, who asked Patch not to include her last name, owned Huck, one of the horses who died in the fire.

Huck, also known by his racing name Mary's Big Secret, was two years old. He was part-owned by both Erica and Gonzalez. He loved Gonzalez, Erica told Patch.

Erica has had horses her whole life, but had never lost one in a barn fire. "I was in shock," she said, when Gonzalez called her on Thanksgiving morning to deliver the grim news.

Huck was supposed to go to St. Louis just days after the fire, Erica told Patch, because the cold tracks in Illinois were closing and he needed to train.

Caring for and training horses has been Gonzalez's life for 40 years, Erica told Patch. "He's the kindest man. The way he took care of my baby was just remarkable," she said.

"He took his time and didn't push them. He just lost what he does. He lost everything."

She recounted several times in which Gonzalez went above and beyond to help horses and their owners. One time, a mare of hers had just come off the track, hot headed, and Gonzalez was the one who could calm her down. Another time, she was helping a friend with a horse's leg bandage but having difficulty due to the horse's pain, so she consulted Gonzalez for help, and his prowess proved successful.

"I've never heard a bad word about that man," Erica said.

Gonzalez's insurance isn't covering the barn, she told Patch.

Also lost in the fire was Gonzalez's beloved horse, Pops.

Gonzalez is trying to keep busy, Erica told Patch, by showing horses and trying to continue on with his work. "He had his routine and now no longer has it," she said.

She's planning a benefit for Gonzalez next March for when he gets back from Mexico.

"I just want him to be able to build his barn," she said.

Patch has reached out to authorities for comment on the fire and is awaiting a response.

As of the latest update to this article, the GoFundMe account has raised $2,015 of its $10,000 goal.

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