Horses, Facility Safe After Devastating Fire at Starland Ranch in Oklahoma

By: Brittany Bevis

Anneene Miller and Jim Gustafson of Starland Ranch, LLC. have undergone a lot during the past three years. In 2013, their home was destroyed by a tornado that swept through El Reno, Oklahoma. Thankfully, all of their horses survived.

Just yesterday, an accidental fire attributed to a fence welder’s stray spark burned hundreds of bales of hay that was housed on the property and threatened to do worse. In all, approximately 50 acres burned.

“We were actually really lucky,” Anneene says. “This is the second time… On May 13th, 2013, the tornado took our home and ruined us. Then, we have this wildfire. When there’s a wildfire in Oklahoma, it can get out of hand. It scares you to death, because you can’t control it. You’re trying to move horses out, and they’re scared and nervous because of the smoke.”

“We live in rural Oklahoma, and what some people don’t understand is that although the fire department comes, they bring tanker trucks that aren’t connected to an outside water source. When they run out of water, they run out.”

Anneene describes the blaze as an “inferno” that engulfed the round bales that they carefully craft for horse consumption on their farm. Economically concerned, it’s a total loss.

“We raise the best horse hay around here. It’s not irrigated. It’s dry land hay, and we make sure that it’s plenty dry and there are no weeds. We do a crop once a year in August, and we lost every bit of our hay. I’m not sure what we’re going to do now, because it’s going to be hard to find comparable hay. We will make it though. It’s just part of the ups and downs of life, the give and take.”

“We’re so thankful for every day and for our many blessings. You never know what’s going to happen when you wake up, but we’re very fortunate. You can’t replace life.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Starland Ranch during this difficult time.

Local news coverage: http://m.news9.com/Story.aspx?story=34228577&catId=112032