A special honor was given to a North County horse trainer who was badly burned in the Lilac Fire while working to save horses from the flames.
Martine Bellocq suffered second- and third-degree burns on over 60 percent of her body and underwent several surgeries, spending months in a medically-induced coma.
Martine Bellocq was honored with the Pincay Award for heroism and bravery at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club over the weekend.
The award is given to a person who has served the horse racing industry with integrity, dedication, determination and distinction and was given to Martine Bellocq because of her actions in the fast-moving brush fire on Dec. 7.
When the Lilac Fire erupted near state Route 76 and Interstate 15 in Bonsall, Martine Bellocq and her husband, Pierre, stayed behind at San Luis Rey Downs to try to save her favorite horse, Wild Bill Hickory, among others.
The horse refused to come out of the stable.
"I saved three of them, but he didn't want to come out, and the fire was so hot, you know, it started to burn me all over the place,” she told NBC 7 in May.
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"When I went back to the barn things had gotten really bad,” Pierre Bellocq told NBC 7 in January. "I found my wife, Martine, slumped on the ground in tears.
"She was burned so badly, but she was not crying out from physical pain."
He said she was crying because she could not save Wild Bill Hickory.
Pierre Bellocq then helped his wife onto a golf cart and rushed her to first responders. She was airlifted to UC San Diego Medical Center where she remained for several months.
Martine Bellocq said in May that she hopes in the future she can help others who have been burned, "at least to give them help and comfort."
Bellocq was previously honored with the Spirit of Courage award from the San Diego Burn Institute.
