All animals including meerkats and giant tortoises die in fire at UK children’s mini zoo
All the animals housed in a mini children’s zoo in England perished in a huge fire.
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Jungle Box on the Watermill Industrial Estate in Buntingford at around 3.20am on Wednesday.
Tragically, the fire brigade discovered a large number of small animals were found at the soft play centre, and none of them survived.
Jungle Box, which opened in June last year, recently opened an exotic pet area that is home to meerkats, snakes, turtles, iguanas, owls and genets, according to posts on social media.
Shocking images of the inferno shared online by the fire brigade revealed the widespread destruction caused by the fire.
As the flames surrounded the building, 10 fire trucks and a ladder platform were dispatched to the scene.
The fire department said the investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing.
Assistant fire chief Darren Cook said: ‘Crews worked hard to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighboring units.
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to The Jungle Box on the Watermill Industrial Estate in Buntingford at around 3.20am on Wednesday.
Tragically, the fire brigade discovered the soft play center was home to a large number of small animals and none of them survived.
‘I would like to thank all the crew for their professionalism and hard work, and my fire control colleagues for responding to calls calmly and effectively.
‘Unfortunately, we can confirm that a number of animals were inside the building at the time of the fire and they did not survive.’
While residents of the area were called to keep their windows and doors closed, black smoke was seen rising from the building.
Roads were closed on Aspenden Road and London Road.
The service added that no one was injured and no one was in the area when the fire started.
Neighboring business The Spud Twins expressed their sadness at the news in a heartfelt post on social media.
It said: ‘We are absolutely devastated for our friends playing soft play in the jungle box.
‘If anyone has a visit or party booked you will be contacted in due course.’
Shocked social media users also expressed their shock at the tragedy.
One commented: ‘Those poor animals.’
As the flames surrounded the building, 10 fire trucks and a ladder platform were dispatched to the scene.
Another said: ‘So sorry for the soft play and poor animals. ‘We thank the fire crew for extinguishing the fire.’
Another said: ‘I feel so sorry for the animals. But we would like to thank our fire department for their hard work.’
Jungle Box is also equipped with slides, tunnels and interactive activities, as well as a special area for under-fives, a sensory room and an on-site café.
Parents previously shared their experiences of what their day out was like, with one Facebook user saying: ‘What a wonderful afternoon at The Jungle Box. The kids absolutely loved it, holding and petting some of the animals; The staff are all great with the children, come down and see what’s going on here!!’
The Daily Mail has approached Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Hertfordshire Police for comment.
