Animals have tragically died after a fire at a popular UK zoo forced the attraction to close on Monday (3 August). One of the owners of Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World near Telford, Will Dorrell, confirmed some animals died after the fire broke out at around 7am in the zoo office.
Sharing a message on social media yesterday evening, Mr Dorrell said: “Fortunately, at that time the fire was contained to within the building, but sadly, three animals did lose their lives. We lost some stick insects, a hedgehog, and a snake, all of which were personal pets ourselves and not part of the zoo. We are absolutely devastated about it.”
He added the zoo office had been “completely gutted”. Two people were taken to hospital as a precaution after the blaze broke out.
In his message, Mr Dorrell said that those two people were two of the owners – his wife and father. He also added this was a precautionary measure after experiencing smoke inhalation and they were subsequently released.
A spokesperson for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service yesterday said: “At around 8am we were called to reports of a building fire at Hoo Farm in Telford.
“Crews from Telford and Wellington attended the incident and discovered a fire measuring approximately five metres by ten metres within an office area of the farm. Firefighters worked quickly to bring the blaze under control and prevent it from spreading further. Crews used four breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets and one main jet to tackle the fire.”
Mr Dorrell also thanked the fire service for stopping the blaze from reaching adjacent buildings, numerous of which are constructed from timber.
He continued: “Without Shropshire Fire and Rescue, that wouldn’t have been possible, and we probably would have lost significantly more, a lot more animals.”
The zoo also added that “anybody with tickets or an experience booked for today, will be contacted to re-arrange”. In 2021, the zoo celebrated its 30th birthday and relaunched as Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World. It is now home to over 100 species of animals, plus 30 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs.
