Sequoyah County Equine Vet Determined To Rebuild After Deadly Fire

A veterinarian is starting over after a fire destroyed her clinic, killing three of her horses.

She said her insurance will cover the building, but not the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment destroyed.

Working as an equine veterinarian is more than a job or a lifestyle for Crystal Sampson. She has dedicated her life to it.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I told my mom I wanted to be a vet. Everybody told her I would grow out of it, but I never did,” Crystal Sampson said.

Sampson came home Monday night to find everything she had worked so hard for, burning.

Sampson said the clinic has been a work in progress over the last four years, and she had just gotten everything the way she wanted it.

She just hung her diploma on the wall a month ago.

"It was like our second home,” she said.

Six horses, a dog and several puppies were inside. Sampson said she did what she could to rescue her animals. Some ran out on their own.

"The ones that were in the barn, I couldn't push them out of the barn. I couldn't get them to move,” she said.

Three horses didn't make it out.

"There's just this connection and love that you have with horses,” Sampson said. “They can't be replaced."

What she will work to bring back, is what set the Premier Equine Veterinary Services clinic apart from others. It went beyond the office, medicine, and equipment to treat horses.

"We had a little coffee bar and clients would come in and get a cup of coffee and sit down on the leather couch and hang out and talk and watch us check the mares,” she said.

While firefighters and the insurance company work to find answers about how the fire started, Sampson is appreciating every moment with her animals.

"Everybody asked me if Ruth got out of the barn and, there she is standing right there in the mud,” she said.

She knows her dedication to care for horses will push her forward one day at a time.

Sampson lost everything in the fire, including her paperwork, phone numbers and appointment book. She said she can still respond to calls if someone needs help.

If you would like to help her rebuild, click here.