Fire Kills Dozens of Animals at a Florida Rescue Center
It was a refuge for abandoned exotic pets that Floridians could no longer care for, as well as for orphaned native wildlife, including chinchillas, skunks, stingrays, lizards and alligators — around 250 of them, all told.
But early Thursday, a fire engulfed the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center, in Madeira Beach, Fla., killing dozens of the rescued creatures. “All the mammals perished,” Sonny Flynn, the owner of the center said. “It’s heart wrenching right now,” she added. “I’m trying to process it.”
The Madeira Beach Fire Department said that it responded to the fire around 3 a.m., and that upon arrival at the conservation facility, about 12 miles south of Clearwater, Fla., firefighters were met with thick smoke and fire. Shortly after entering the building, they were forced to evacuate because of “rapidly deteriorating” conditions, according to the department’s chief, Clint Belk.
He said that it took about 35 minutes to control the fire, and that as the smoke dissipated, the scale of the carnage became clear. “There were many, many reptiles and mammals that did not make it,” Chief Belk said, noting that the authorities later determined the cause was most likely an electrical failure. “They were a staple in our little community,” he said of the rescue center, which opened in 2011 and offered educational visits to the public. “It’s a tragedy,” he said.
Source: The New York Times
