An aardvark was killed and staff members were injured in a fire Saturday at the London Zoo. Four meerkats were missing and presumed dead, zoo officials said.
More than 70 firefighters in 10 trucks took nearly three hours to put out the blaze, the cause of which wasn’t immediately known.
Eight staff members at the zoo were treated for smoke inhalation.
“We are all naturally devastated by this, but are immensely grateful to the fire brigade, who reacted quickly to the situation to bring the fire under control,” read a statement issued by the zoo, adding that it expected to reopen Sunday.
The London Zoo, home to more than 20,000 animals according to its 2017 inventory, sits in the capital city’s iconic Regents Park and attracts 1.2 million visitors each year.
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