PANAMA CITY BEACH — A fire broke out at Zoo World and claimed the lives of several animals.
Zoo World is a popular local zoological park at 9008 Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach.
A Bay County spokesperson said that authorities received the call about a fire at 5 a.m. from a citizen who was in the area.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office arrived two minutes later, with the first fire engine arriving at 5:07 a.m. Panama City Beach Fire Rescue and Naval Support Activity Panama City Fire & Emergency Services assisted Bay County Fire Rescue in extinguishing the flames.
Firefighters managed to get the fire under control by 5:16 a.m.
The fire broke out in the lemur area at the backside of the park’s administration building. Six ruffed lemurs were killed in the blaze, and two others were taken to veterinary hospitals, where their condition is unknown.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the fire marshal, with a spokesperson saying they don’t believe the blaze was set by any individual.
Officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were present when reporters arrived on scene. A spokesperson said the agency was there to assist Zoo World staff and partner law enforcement agencies.
The park announced on Facebook that facilities will be closed to the public Jan. 15-16.
“The zoo will be closed while our teams assess and plan repairs to structures (damaged) this morning by a fire located just behind the gift shop building,” the park wrote on Facebook. “At this time, we are working with the appropriate authorities to understand what happened. The safety of our animals, staff and guests is our top priority.”
When a News Herald reporter was on scene around 11 a.m. on Jan. 15, the area still smelled like smoke, although no structural damage was visible from the street.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Early morning fire at Zoo World in Panama City Beach kills six lemurs
Reporting by Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
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