Firefighters tackle blaze at zoo

A fire has broken out at a zoo in Shropshire.

Hoo Zoo, near Telford, posted on Facebook that firefighters were dealing with the blaze at the site, which was set to remain closed on Monday.

"The fire is currently isolated to an area with no animals but our teams are dedicated to ensuring that all of our animals and team members remain safe and well," a spokesperson for the zoo said.

They added that anybody with tickets for Monday would be contacted to re-arrange their visit, and thanked would-be visitors for their understanding.

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 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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