Nine racehorses were found dead after a fire destroyed two stables early Sunday in eastern Japan, Kyodo News reported.

The fire broke out around 1 a.m. (1600 GMT, Saturday) at a stable on the premises of the Funabashi Racetrack in Funabashi, Chiba prefecture and spread to another one nearby, according to local police. It burned down two stables in about three hours before being taken under control.

No one was reported injured in the fire but the nine horses aged between 2 and 5 years. The damage from the fire is estimated to be in the tens of millions of yen.

According to Chiba's horse racing association, there are 78 stables in and around Funabashi racetrack, home to some 600 racehorses.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Source: Xinhua