Fire rips through Hertfordshire children’s soft play and mini zoo killing all animals

All of the animals have tragically perished

Fire has ripped through a children’s soft play centre and mini zoo in Hertfordshire. All of the animals in the building were tragically killed as a result of the blaze.

A total of 10 fire engines were dispatched to The Jungle Box on the Watermill Industrial Estate in Buntingford after a blaze was reported at around 3am on Wednesday morning.

The soft play centre, which opened in June last year also included a mini zoo and pets corner that was home to a number of small animals, including meercats, owls, iguanas giant tortoises and a 16ft snake, The Mirror reports.

Sadly, after extinguishing the blaze, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that all animals in the building at the time of the fire had died. No people were harmed during the incident.

Assistant chief fire officer Darren Cook said: “In the early hours of the morning we received calls to a significant fire at The Jungle Box in Buntingford.

“Crews worked hard to contain the fire and prevent it spreading to neighbouring units. I’d like to thank all crews for their professionalism and hard work and fire control colleagues for their calm and efficient handling of the calls.

“We can confirm that a number of animals were inside the building at the time of the fire and did not survive.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway.