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| Chester Zoo staff 'devastated' after fire | Chester Zoo staff 'devastated' after fire |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Chester Zoo says it is "devastated" by the loss of some of its animals in a fire. | |
| The blaze broke out in the Monsoon Forest area on Saturday, destroying much of its roof. | |
| Orangutans, macaques, gibbons and larger birds were saved, but some frogs, fish, insects and small birds died. | |
| Cheshire Fire said the blaze was "accidental" but it needed more time to determine the exact cause. | |
| An online appeal launched by the zoo, which reopened on Sunday, has raised more than £100,000 in 24 hours - double its target. | |
| The tourism attraction, which has more than 21,000 animals, said all the creatures led to safety were being relocated within the 125-acre site and described the loss of others as "heartbreaking". | |
| Jamie Christon, the zoo's chief operating officer, said in a statement: "Yesterday was one of the toughest days in Chester Zoo's long history. | |
| "Keepers were able to encourage all mammal species away from the fire and to safety - including the zoo's group of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, Sulawesi macaques, endangered silvery gibbons and birds such as rhinoceros hornbills. | "Keepers were able to encourage all mammal species away from the fire and to safety - including the zoo's group of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, Sulawesi macaques, endangered silvery gibbons and birds such as rhinoceros hornbills. |
| "We are though, devastated to say that we were unable to save some of our insects, frogs, fish and small birds who were located near to the outbreak of the fire." | "We are though, devastated to say that we were unable to save some of our insects, frogs, fish and small birds who were located near to the outbreak of the fire." |
| More than 15 fire crews and ambulance staff attended after the blaze broke out just before 11:30 GMT on Saturday. | More than 15 fire crews and ambulance staff attended after the blaze broke out just before 11:30 GMT on Saturday. |
| One person was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation. | One person was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation. |
| Lee Shears, the incident commander from Cheshire Fire, said crews "saved a significant portion of the building, which is good news for the zoo and their plans". | |
| The zoo said it had been inundated with messages and donations from members of the public. | |
| Mr Christon wrote: "The strength and support from the public has been incredibly overwhelming and the messages of goodwill have been of great comfort to our teams. | |
| "We will support each other in rebuilding this part of the zoo and continue our mission of preventing extinction." | |
| The zoo said an investigation would take place over the coming weeks and the Monsoon Forest area and Islands zone remain shut. | |
| The Monsoon Forest habitat is the UK's largest zoological building, according to the attraction. It opened in August 2015. | The Monsoon Forest habitat is the UK's largest zoological building, according to the attraction. It opened in August 2015. |
| The 14-acre section has its own climate, with temperatures reaching 26.6C to replicate conditions in South East Asia. | The 14-acre section has its own climate, with temperatures reaching 26.6C to replicate conditions in South East Asia. |