Weather event damages Charles Town barns

Down the lane.

A destructive weather event blew through Charles Town, WV last night, damaging property at the race track. But, according to the track, there were no reports of human or equine injuries.

According to a statement issued by Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, the weather event occurred around 8:00 p.m., affected power lines, and damaged the roofs of three barns on the track’s backside. “The exact nature of the weather event [is] yet to be definitively determined,” the statement said.

Of the three barns damaged, only one had severe enough damage to require horses to be removed. In that one, a section of roof was rippled completely off, exposing approximately seven stalls; those horses were moved to another location on the grounds. While there was damage to the “new terraced roof skin” of the two other barns, the original flat roofs of both were still intact.

The track said that it expects to secure temporary lighting to illuminate those parts of the barn area without electricity. The week’s live racing is slated to begin tonight at 7:00 p.m.

“Barring any further developments from engineers on site this afternoon or the testing of the track lighting system, live racing is anticipated to move forward as scheduled,” the statement said.