All animals including meerkats and giant tortoises die in fire at UK children's mini zoo

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:08, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 19:29, 10 June 2026 All of the animals housed in a children's mini zoo in the UK have died in a large fire. Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to The Jungle Box on the Watermill Industrial Estate in Buntingford, at around 03:20am on Wednesday. Tragically, the fire service revealed that the soft play centre housed a number of small animals, none of which survived. The Jungle Box, which opened in June last year, recently opened an exotic pets area that was home to meerkats, snakes, tortoises, iguanas, owls and genets, according to posts on social media. Shocking images of the inferno shared online by the fire service showed the widespread devastation caused by the fire. Ten fire engines and an aerial ladder platform were rushed to the scene as flames engulfed the building.  An investigation into what caused it was underway, said the fire service. Assistant chief fire officer Darren Cook said: 'Crews worked hard to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring units. Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to The Jungle Box on the Watermill Industrial Estate in Buntingford, at around 03:20am on Wednesday Tragically, the fire service revealed that the soft play centre housed a number of small animals, none of which survived '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. 'Sadly, we can confirm that a number of animals were inside the building at the time of the fire and did not survive.' Black smoke could be seen billowing from the building as local residents were urged to keep their windows and doors closed. Road closures were put in place on Aspenden Road and London Road. No people were injured, and there was no one on site when the fire began, the service added. A neighbouring business, The Spud Twins, expressed their sadness at the news in a heartfelt post on social media. It said: 'Absolutely devastated for our friends over at the jungle box soft play. 'If anyone has a visit booked or a party – you will be contacted in due course.' Shocked social media users also expressed their shock at the tragedy. One commented: 'Those poor animals.' Ten fire engines and an aerial ladder platform were rushed to the scene as flames engulfed the building  Another said: 'Very sad about the soft play and those poor animals. Well done to the fire brigade for putting it out.' Somebody else said: 'Very sad about the animals. However, thank you to our fire service for their hard work.' The Jungle Box was also equipped with slides, tunnels and interactive activities alongside a dedicated area for under-fives, a sensory room and an on-site café. Parents have previously shared their experiences of what a day out was like, with one Facebook user saying: 'What a great afternoon in The Jungle Box. Kids absolutely loved it, held and stroked some animals; staff are all great with the kids, get down and see what's going on down here!!' The Daily Mail has approached Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Hertfordshire Police for comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.