Aardvark dies in Brit zoo blaze

FIREFIGHTERS and zookeepers rushed to help as a blaze broke out at the London Zoo on Saturday morning, but they were unable to save an aardvark named Misha and four meerkats.

Officials said Misha died in the fire and the four missing meerkats were presumed to have perished as well.

Staff members were treated for smoke inhalation and shock after the fire near a zoo cafe in the early-morning hours. It took 72 firefighters just over three hours to extinguish the fire.

Staffers living onsite rushed to move animals as quickly as they could in the frenzied minutes after the fire started, but they were too late to aid the 9-year-old Misha.

Zoo director Dominic Jermey said the staff was “absolutely devastated” by the aardvark’s death.

“We had our vet team onsite immediately, but sadly there was nothing that they could do for Misha,” he said.

Workers searched in vain for the four missing meerkats throughout the day, but said Saturday evening they were presumed to have died in the blaze, which produced intense flames at first and left a smoky pall over much of the grounds.