On a night when temperatures dipped as low as -20 C, a fire at the Classy Lane Stables in the town of Puslinch took the lives of more than 40 racehorses late Monday.

The township’s fire chief says grief over the multi-million-dollar blaze is not just confined to the owners and trainers.

Steven Goode says the community’s trying to process one of the most significant emotional and financial losses in its history.

Trainer Dan Lagace, who was working with seven of the animals, says ”it’s almost like losing a child.”

The co-owner of Classy Lane, Jamie Miller, has flown home from Florida and says five companies are out of business.

Firefighters from Puslinch, Guelph, Cambridge and Hamilton struggled with the harsh weather which caused hose lines to keep freezing up.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.