THE CAUSE OF THE TRAGIC FIRE AT THE INDIANAPOLIS ZOO on Nov. 10 (Firegeezer report HERE) has been determined.

An armadillo, just doing his thing, most likely pushed some bedding material too close to a heat lamp.

The Indianapolis Star reports:

The Nov. 10 fire in the zoo’s Critter Corner building caused about $120,000 in damage. An insurance company investigator told the zoo the fire probably started when combustible material, likely bedding used by an armadillo, was pushed too close to a heat lamp. The lamp was properly placed 2 feet above the floor. 

Pushing the material into a pile is known as “rooting” and is part of the animal’s natural behavior, the zoo said. However, “the type of activity that would have caused this alignment to occur had not been previously observed over a period of several years.”

 The investigator said that the building’s electrical systems operated correctly before and during the incident, that there were no evident malfunctions of heat lamps or wiring, and that the alarm and fire suppressant systems also operated as programmed.

The full Indy Star STORY.

Trackback This Post | Subscribe to the comments through RSS Feed