Chester zoo evacuating visitors & animals as fire spreading. Hope all animals & staff are safe

Awful. Sounds like its getting worse too. More fire engines arriving. What a nightmare with all the straw and stuff about . One report says its the indoor part where the Orangs are kept. Hope theyve got everything out. Wish it would pour down to help - could do without the high winds no doubt too.

Edit - tv news says its not getting worse, its getting under control , so that sounds better, but animals still being evacuated

Yes its Monsoon Forest ,orangs,crocs etc. The weather isnt helping. All animals in Monsoon Forest have been evacuated. Fingers crossed for happy outcome . Frightening for all concerned

Ah hope the animals ARE out. BBC news 24 just now didnt seem sure.

I wonder with such a massive space having to be evacuated for animals with such specific temperature needs , where the heck they can put them this weather . They would need lots of seperate spaces.

Its on Sky news in a minute

how the heck do you evacuate crocodiles or even orangutans?

Very carefully Fish I would think.. Im sure this is the sort of emergency thats already been rehearsed many times. Crates etc ready & unused quarters reopened .Definitely a nightmare situation for the staff though.

BBC update 19 mins ago. All animals are accounted for but the word 'safe' has not been used.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-46579083

A massive well done to all the staff and emergency services involved.

one member of staff was heard shouting to the crocodiles "get out of here and make it snappy"

Agreed Dilly , they must have had a horrible time and really upsetting too if their particular animals were damaged. The Daily Post last report said staff and vets will be working through the night , so obviously not all the animals got out unscathed . Very sad.

Upsetting to hear this , I love Chester Zoo and the programme on tv. All those keepers seem so dedicated and caring as Venice said must have been horrible for them. Hope the injuries are not too bad and the zoo can pick itself up again, sure they will. I think it does a great job for conservation and the animals are looked after extremely well. One blessing us it happened in a day like today when should imagine there weren't many people visiting it and maybe the heavy rain helped. Sad right on Christmas as well . Think they said the roof was inflatable so that would have burnt very quickly , ye sounds like everyone involved did a Stirling job.

All mammals were safe,they haven't made a statement on birds, insects etc.

They have accounted for all the mammals . 'accounted for ' . Still trying to account for certain other species --I suppose ones underwater etc may not easily be seen or caught for removal . Shame the weather is on the turn for more extreme cold . Probably more news tomorrow as to where everything spent the night or went to. I guess some will just have to take their chances tonight in their outside runs.

Birds will have been really susceptible to smoke i expect

The unaccounted for residents were apparently mostly free flying birds, so I suppose some may have just flown out through the smoke via the areas of roof that burned away. Guess the end of some will remain a mystery .

We went there in the summer,there's all sorts of snakes & other reptiles in there as well as birds & the orangs

You don't improve, do you ?

It must have been a scary situation and as Dilly says, well done to all who assisted . According to one eye witness, the orang-utans were chased out each carrying their blankets with them . Now that does bring a tear

Come on everybody theres an appeal out for 50k ,not an enormous amount so if you can donate just a couple of quid please do so. The zoos open today ,they cant afford to stay closed so maybe they will get more visitors. Im hopeful that all species accounted for but very doubtful.

Fantastic response to the appeal 38k so far on Just Giving.

wow ! Reached £98,000

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/monsoonforest

Thats a great response in less than 24 hours. Its good to know that the general public will help out in an emergency especially at this time of year when moneys always hard to come by.

The call for money probably just a fortuitous timely bonus fundraiser -- they have insurance for such eventualities surely??

The money is going to be used for conservation at the zoo & other areas the zoo works in,the building was insured.

Escapee spotted in Heswalls Tesco car park

good one fish