UPDATE: Man Confesses to Starting Deadly Barn Fire at Upstate NY Casino

STORY UPDATE (as of February 4, 2024)

New York Upstate has confirmed that 33-year old Boyd Fenton has pled guilty, and is facing charges of third-degree arson, second-degree assault and 30 counts of interference with or injury to certain domestic animals.

Fenton is facing up to 15 years in prison after admitting to starting a barn fire at Tioga Downs Casino Resort in November of 2023.

ORIGINAL STORY (Published on November 14, 2023)

Tragedy has struck at Tioga Downs Casino Resort.

A barn on the grounds of the casino, one which housed dozens of race horses, caught on fire early Thursday morning. The blaze tragically killed "dozens" of horses who were being kept in the barn, while also leaving one man injured.

In the hours that followed, the fire was deemed to be an act of arson, and an arrest has since been made. We have the latest updates on this tragedy in the horse racing community.

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Arrest Made and Man Charged with Arson After Upstate NY Barn Fire

A story from CNN and other outlets shared updates from the aftermath of a massive barn fire that happened at Tioga Downs Casino Resort in Nichols, NY, a town which sits west of Binghamton and just north of the New York-Pennsylvania border.

The fire, which happened on Thursday, November 9th, killed 30 horses in total, and left one man, who was trying to save as many horses as possible, with second-degree burns.

Elmira-based WENY News did this story on the fire late last week:

An investigation into the fire led to the arrest of 32-year old Boyd Fenton, of Athens, Pennsylvania. Fenton was charged with felony arson, after it was determined that he purposely entered the barn and lit it ablaze. A motive has not yet been determined and/or shared publicly.

He is also facing felony charges of burglary, criminal mischief and assault, according to New York State Police. Fenton is being held at Tioga County Jail, according to CNN.

Tioga Downs published the following statement on their official Facebook page last week:

The horse racing new website Harnesslink shared that the 30 horses who perished in the fire were laid to rest near the backstretch of Tioga Downs. A monument inscribed with the names of the fallen horses will also be mounted in that area, according to the report.