Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
ANIMAL SEARCH AS WILDLIFE PARK HIT BY BLAZE
A wildlife park has been left counting the cost after a huge blaze at the site. Animals and up to 200 visitors were evacuated after the fire broke out at Wildwood Trust between Canterbury and Herne Bay on Monday afternoon. No one was hurt, but a red squirrel - one of nine at the park - remains unaccounted for. Director general of the charity, Paul Whitfield, says the blaze caused thousands of pounds of damage - but it “could have been a lot worse”.
The fire was first discovered by a member of staff at 3.30pm. “When I walked over and I saw these big plumes of smoke, I was very scared,” Mr Whitfield said. “We evacuated the park, then we were deploying people with fire extinguishers, but by that point it was too big to do anything but stop it from spreading. “The smoke was massive. The flames were probably 10 to 20ft high in some places.” Firefighters spent more than four hours battling the flames. “It was in part of our yard where the keepers and rangers work,” said Mr Whitfield. “It’s an area where we store lots of old wood that might be useful for the future.
“There was a huge amount of wood there that went up straight away - it was a very dry, very hot day.”
The fire service confirmed the blaze started accidentally, after embers from a log burner spread to nearby outbuildings. Animals in nearby enclosures, including red squirrels, dormice, barn owls, and all inhabitants of the park’s reptile house, were swiftly taken to safety. Staff were also on standby to move reindeer and wild cats. Mr Whitfield says the financial impact of the fire is not yet known, but it has come at a particularly unfortunate time. “It’s the last thing we need,” he said.
“Covid has probably cost us £350,000 in lost income, which for a charity our size is a massive hit. We were shut for three months. We’ve cut costs wherever we can, so having to do all this is a real kick in the teeth at a time like this.”
The fire tore through two squirrel breeding enclosures - razing one to the ground, and leaving the other in need of rebuilding.
“They’re a big loss,” said Mr Whitfield. “They cost about £8-10,000 to build.
A volunteer shed used to store tools was also destroyed, along with forks, spades, secateurs, gloves and shears. Following the blaze, Wildwood is carrying out a full internal investigation, and Mr Whitfield says changes will “definitely” be made.