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| London Zoo fire: Aardvark dead and four meerkats missing as blaze shuts attraction | London Zoo fire: Aardvark dead and four meerkats missing as blaze shuts attraction |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An aardvark has died and four meerkats are missing following a fire tore that through London Zoo. | |
| Eight zoo workers have been treated by paramedics after a desperate attempt to save the animals from the blaze, which broke out in a petting area. | Eight zoo workers have been treated by paramedics after a desperate attempt to save the animals from the blaze, which broke out in a petting area. |
| One staff member was taken to hospital and seven others were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and shock. | |
| A nine-year-old aardvark named Mischa has been found dead, the zoo confirmed. It had earlier said she was "unaccounted for". | |
| The aardvark and the missing meerkats were kept in the Animal Adventure zone, a children's zoo where the fire began. The area also houses goats, sheep, donkeys, llamas, and pigs. | |
| The fire began at about 6am and spread to a gift shop and cafe. | |
| "Duty staff that live on site at the zoo were on the scene immediately, and started moving animals to safety," said a zoo spokesman. | |
| London Ambulance Service said it treated six people for smoke inhalation and two for minor injuries. One was taken to a north-west London hospital. | |
| Seventy-two firefighters with 10 engines battled for more than three hours to bring the blaze under control and prevent it spreading to other animal enclosures. | |
| About three-quarters of the cafe and shop and half of its roof were ablaze. Pictures from the scene showed firefighters hosing down roaring flames as smoke billowed from the building. | |
| The blaze was under control by 9.16am. | |
| The zoo spokesman added: "We are immensely grateful to the fire brigade, who reacted quickly to the situation to bring the fire under control. | |
| "The zoo will remain closed until further notice, and we will work closely with fire investigators to determine the cause of the incident." | |
| London Fire Brigade station manager Clive Robinson said: "The fire mainly affected the cafe and shop. Part of nearby animal petting area was also affected although at this stage we don't know if any animals were involved. | |
| "Firefighters worked hard to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible and to stop it from spreading to neighbouring animal enclosures. | |
| "Crews will remain at the scene throughout the morning damping down any remaining pockets of fire." | |
| The attraction houses 20,166 animals, according to its inventory for 2017. It is the world's oldest scientific zoo, dating back to 1826. |