Up to 40 horses perish in barn blaze

Media reports suggest between 27 and 41 horses died in the fire in Charles Town early on Monday.

The blaze broke out shortly before 5am in a stables complex beside Charles Town Races, in Jefferson County.

Fire crews from the Charles Town Independent Fire Company responded, but the blaze was burning fiercely on their arrival.

It is understood the three stables affected were privately owned.

Most of the deaths were concentrated in one of the buildings, with two believed dead in the second. A third barn suffered damage.