A two-story barn fire at a zoo in Vienna, VA Monday night left 2 giraffes dead. The cause of the fire at Roer’s Zoofari has not been determined.
The following written content from Jon Haworth
“Waffles was a favorite with our visitors and our team. We are heartbroken.”
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that two of the zoo’s giraffes were confirmed dead once they were able to get the fire under control. Roer’s Zoofari also confirmed the tragic loss in a statement on their website.
“Staff at Roer’s Zoofari are mourning the loss of a beloved giraffe, Waffles, and his companion giraffe, after a devastating barn fire that occurred after the zoo closed for the day,” the statement read. “Waffles was a favorite with our visitors and our team. We are heartbroken,” said Roer. “We are so grateful that no person or other Zoofari animals were injured or lost. And we deeply appreciate the firefighters who came so quickly to help extinguish the fire.”
Investigations as to how the fire began are currently ongoing and the zoo will remain closed until Friday, March 12, according to their website.
Grief counselors are being made available to staff “who are devastated by this tragedy and who cared deeply for these members of the Zoofari family,” according to Roer’s Zoofari. Read more from ABC
