San Diego Zoo's Panda Gift Shop destroyed
An early morning fire at the San Diego Zoo that destroyed a gift shop near the giant panda exhibit and caused some $700,000 in damage was deliberately set, fire investigators said Monday.
The blaze at the Panda Shop next to the Canyon Cafe was reported at 1:49 a.m. by a zoo security guard, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said.
The guard was doing a routine check of the canyon area when he smelled smoke and saw flames coming from the store, zoo officials said.
When firefighters arrived they found the one-story, 1200 square foot shop with a wood exterior and a tin roof, fully involved in flames, Luque said.
The blaze was extinguished in about 15 minutes, Luque said. Investigators who stayed at the scene through the night determined that the fire was arson. The method used to start the fire has not been disclosed.
Luque said the stand-alone shop was destroyed but no other structures were damaged. Investigators estimated the damage at $500,000 to the structure and $200, 000 to the contents.
The store sits about 50 yards away from the giant panda enclosure.
Zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons said that keepers checked on the animals and they “didn’t seem to be aware that anything was going on.” All other animals in the surrounding area were also checked and none was affected, Simmons said.
The zoo will be open for business as usual and that only the shop and the cafe would be closed, the spokeswoman said.
The zoo issued a statement of gratitude to the firefighters “whose expertise and hard work helped put out the blaze so quickly.”
Source: SignOnSanDiego.com
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