Barn Fire Safety Checklist: How to Keep Horses Safe In an Emergency

Katie Navarra Bradley

Updated Aug. 20, 2024

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Common Causes of Barn Fires

Predicting when and where a horse barn fire will occur is difficult. However, the 2022 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report identified the most common causes of barn fires. Heating devices accounted for 33% of all reported barn fires and malfunctioning electrical systems accounted for 29%.

Other common causes of barn fires include:

Lightning strikes
Arson
Cigarette butts
Welding sparks
Gas or diesel equipment malfunction when stored inside a barn
Wet hay

Barn Fire Safety Checklist

Most barn fires—a whopping 80% to 85%—are caused by electrical failures, human mistakes, and accidents. You can significantly reduce the fire risk in your barn by following these fire prevention measures.

Keep it Clean

One of the simplest fire safety precautions in a barn and around horses is cleanliness. This six-step barn fire safety checklist can help you reduce the risk of fire at your horse barn:

Remove flammable debris, including cobwebs, empty feed and bedding bags, oily rags, and other items that can quickly ignite.
Store combustibles (such as fuel, bedding, chemicals, or hay) at least 50 feet from the horse barn.
Avoid stacking wet hay.
Ban smoking in the barn. Be sure to put up signs around the barn prohibiting smoking.
Mow lawns and cut weeds regularly to reduce ignition sources that can spread to a barn.
Inspect all wiring, junction boxes, and electrical panels for damage at least once a year, and have anything you note repaired immediately.

Use Fire Safety Technology and Gear

Prioritizing barn fire safety can help keep your horses safe and give you peace of mind. These fire safety technologies help reduce the chances of a horse barn fire when properly installed:

Fire alarms, smoke sensors, and carbon monoxide detection systems
Thermal detectors

ABC fire extinguishers hung at each entry and exit and 50 feet from any point in the barn
Sprinkler systems

The National Fire Prevention Association 150, Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities also provides specific fire prevention guidelines for barns, including horse barns.

A sprinkler system is one of the association’s recommended fire protection features. Any time you visit a public facility like a restaurant, store, or hotel, look up and you’ll see one. But few horse farms have sprinklers installed in their stables.

It can be worth the installation expense to increase the chance of saving lives if a fire breaks out.

Consider Your Barn Layout

When building a new barn, use approved fire doors, fire walls, and flame-retardant materials wherever possible.

It’s also a good idea to limit the number of center aisle stalls to make exit points closer to each horse. In an existing barn, assess how your barn is arranged and make modifications where possible.

In either scenario, consider:

Installing hardware on stall doors that is easy to use
Building stalls with two doors (inside/outside)
Insulating and ventilating the barn properly to reduce the need for heaters or fans
Considering the barn’s proximity to water sources
Installing multiple water hydrants in and around the barn
Storing halters and lead ropes in easily accessible locations

Hire Professionals to Check Your Barn

Hiring professionals to assess and maintain the electrical system in your horse barn is an important step in reducing fire hazards. An electrician should inspect and repair wiring yearly and assess your barn’s risk for lightning strikes.

If your barn doesn’t already have one, they’ll likely recommend installing lightning rods designed to direct lightning to the ground should it hit the barn during a storm.

Make an Evacuation Plan

Even with the best prevention plans in place, fires can still happen.

In some areas, the fire department can respond to a fire in three to five minutes, while in more remote locations, it can take 10 minutes or more. Despite rapid response times, a small flame can overtake an entire facility in minutes.

Having emergency response and evacuation plans can mean the difference between life and death for both people and horses.

Before an emergency happens, invite the fire department to your barn and ask them to evaluate your property and provide feedback on how to update your facilities for fire response efficiencies.

During a visit, the fire department will likely:

Identify all available water sources (natural or municipal) on the property.
Note utility shutoff points.
Evaluate the driveway and barn for access and make recommendations for removing trees or low-hanging branches that may obstruct entry.
Provide input for an evacuation plan.
Suggest creating a current list of emergency contacts, including first responders, veterinarians, and nearby farms.

Once you have an evacuation plan in place, practice it. Train all staff members and boarders on how to use a fire extinguisher and have them practice evacuation plans too. Local fire extinguisher companies can provide training on how to use a fire extinguisher correctly and offer service plans to check extinguishers to ensure they are in working order.

Prioritize Human Safety

If you can do so safely, get horses out of the barn and into a pasture away from the fire as soon and as quickly as possible.

However, it’s important to remember that you should never reenter an engulfed structure, and instead allow the fire department to perform the duties of their job safely.

The key to any emergency is prevention and preparedness. Ensuring the above safety measures are complete will greatly reduce the devastation should a fire break out.

Horse Barn Fire First Aid

Horses that survive a barn fire may experience injuries or other conditions that will require prompt treatment from a veterinarian. Make sure your horse first aid kit is well stocked, and consider keeping a kit away from the barn area so it is still accessible in case of a fire.

Barn fires may cause the following health issues in horses:

Smoke Inhalation

A horse suffering from smoke inhalation may experience:

Coughing
Lethargy
Shallow or fast breathing
Nasal discharge

In severe cases, horses may develop bronchitis or pneumonia. Older horses, those with underlying health conditions, or mares that are pregnant or lactating may be more affected due to their compromised immune systems.

Smoke inhalation in horses varies by horse and degree of exposure. Horses are often treated with high doses of antioxidant vitamin E with products such as Nano E®.

If the horse has more severe symptoms, stabilization may be needed—making sure the horses airway is clear and treating the horse with fluids for shock.

If there is severe upper airway edema (fluid) present, then a tracheostomy may be necessary, which includes opening the trachea and placing a tube.

Some horses may recover in four to six weeks from acute (severe) smoke inhalation. Generally, there is a minimum recommended rest period of about two weeks after exposure.

Burns

Horses may be burned from flames during a barn fire, whether from being trapped inside or burning themselves while escaping to safety.

Burns in horses can vary by severity:

Superficial burns are typically easily treated and not expensive to manage at home.
Serious burns can result in shock and require aggressive treatment that can be expensive and difficult to manage.
Horses with burns over at least half of their body have a grave prognosis. They are likely to die from their injuries or may be humanely euthanized.

Horse that survive being burnt may have scarring for the rest of their life, and this can prevent them from returning to normal daily life.