More Than 70 Firefighters Tackle Blaze at London Zoo

By Reuters
December 23, 2017 Last Updated: December 23, 2017
Ten fire engines were sent to the zoo at the height of the blaze. (London Fire Brigade)

LONDON—More than 70 firefighters tackled a blaze at London Zoo on Saturday Dec. 23 after a fire broke out at a cafe and shop at the attraction.

The blaze broke out shortly after 6:00 a.m. local time, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said. The fire was near an area where visitors can handle and feed animals.

Although no animals were immediately reported to have been injured, one aardvark was missing.

“The fire at @zsllondonzoo is now under control but crews will remain on the scene throughout the morning damping down the fire which has affected a cafe and a shop,” the LFB said on Twitter.

Ten fire engines were sent to the zoo, located in Regent’s Park in central London. The LFB had earlier said that about three-quarters of the Adventure Café and a gift shop were alight. The cause of the fire was not yet known.

“ZSL London Zoo is currently dealing with an incident on site. We will update as quickly as the situation allows,” the zoo said on Twitter.

The attraction, the world’s oldest scientific zoo which dates it origins back to 1826, houses 20,166 animals, according to its inventory for 2017.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

London Zoo is seen on fire, in London, Britain Dec, 23, 2017 in this image taken from video footage obtained from social media. (Brendan Cooney/via Reuters)

The Epoch Times contributed to this report