Two people taken to hospital after fire at zoo

Two people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a zoo in Shropshire.

Hoo Zoo, near Telford, posted on Facebook that two of its owners were taken to hospital as a precaution due to smoke inhalation, but have since been discharged.

"We can confirm that the fire is now out and that no zoo animals were harmed," a spokesperson for the zoo said, although they added several animals privately belonging to the zoo owners have died, including a snake, a hedgehog and several stick insects.

The attraction is set to remain closed for the day and said that anybody with tickets for Monday would be contacted to rearrange their visit.

The zoo thanked Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service in a statement, adding: "Our team have been monitoring the animals across the site to ensure that they all remain safe and well."

The zoo is set on a 32-acre site , having previously been a dairy farm before becoming a large-scale visitor attraction.

The venue rose to national prominence in 2024, following the escape of a capybara called Cinammon.

The zoo's Will Dorrell told BBC Radio Shropshire the fire was in one of the zoo's office areas, and said they did not yet know what had caused it.

Flames were discovered at about 07:45 BST.

"We're very, very lucky," he said. "The office itself is located right next to our main entrance and our shop and our cafe - probably if the fire had started half an hour earlier than what it actually did it would've probably engulfed those as well."

He said the only damage was to office equipment and documents, which could be replaced.

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