Fire in meerkat building at Kansas City Zoo is extinguished with no injuries reported
Several meerkats and other small animals escaped unharmed when their building at the Kansas City Zoo caught fire early Tuesday, a fire department spokesman said.
The fire was reported shortly before 3:30 a.m. in a building behind the scenes at the Kansas City Zoo at 6800 Zoo Drive, said Deputy Chief Jimmy Walker, a spokesman for the Kansas City Fire Department.
“All is now well at the Zoo,” the Kansas City Zoo said on Twitter. “Early this morning, there was a fire in the behind-the-scenes bedrooms of some of our small African animals. Thanks to the quick response of our security team, Kansas City firefighters, and other Zoo staff, the animals are all safe and accounted for.”
The fire appears to have started when straw ignited from an external fire and then spread to the building, Walker said.
Firefighters extinguished the fire quickly, Walker said. It could have been a more serious situation, he added.
Firefighters help zoo officials round up the meerkats and a fox. None of the animals were injured in the fire. No other injuries were reported.
Because of the zoo’s security and enclosures, gaining entry to where the fire was proved challenging, Walker said.
“Getting vehicles into the zoo is always difficult,” Walker said. “We know where the entrance areas are. It’s just hard to navigate the large fire trucks back there.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 8:52 AM.
