7:45pm UK, Saturday September 05, 2009
The racing world is in mourning after two promising young jockeys died and two others were injured in an apparent arson attack.
North Yorkshire Police have said the fire was started deliberately
The trainees, who have not been formally identified, perished in the blaze that ripped through a three-storey block of flats near Malton, North Yorkshire.
Police said the fire was being treated as suspicious and a local man, in his 30s, had been arrested shortly afterwards.
It was understood the blaze broke out as a party took place in the block.
Yorkshire-based rider Graham GibbonsIt's absolutely tragic and we're all struggling to come to terms with it. All our thoughts are with the families.
The blaze was so severe it caused structural damage.
Emergency services had been unable to enter the building and recover the bodies or establish whether there have been further casualties.
Tributes to the young jockeys were placed on the Facebook networking website, as jockeys and trainers spoke of their shock at the tragedy.
Jockey wearing a black armband
Trainer John Quinn, who runs stables at Malton, said: "It's awful. It's just a nightmare."
Yorkshire-based rider Graham Gibbons added: "It's absolutely tragic and we're all struggling to come to terms with it. All our thoughts are with the families."
Racecourses at Kempton and Thirsk staged a period of silence in remembrance, while jockeys at Stratford wore black armbands.
People close to the scene of the blaze at Buckrose Court, in Norton, near Malton, said survivors were thought to have jumped out of windows to flee the blaze which started at around 2.15am on Saturday.
The two injured men, who were both in their 20s, were treated at York District Hospital for the effects of smoke inhalation and burns.
One has since been released, while the other man's injuries were not considered life-threatening.
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