Fire at Wild Florida kills all reptiles in snake enclosure

Officials say no one was injured in blaze

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WKMG

Snake enclosure catches on fire at Wild Florida Gator Park (Osceola County Fire and Rescue)

KENANSVILLE, Fla. – A snake enclosure caught on fire Sunday at Wild Florida Airboats & Gator Park.

The wildlife attraction in Kenansville, offers airboat tours, close encounters with gators and a drive-through safari.

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According to the Osceola County Fire Department, crews from multiple departments responded to fire inside the serpentarium.

Images from Osceola County Fire Rescue and EMS show bright orange flames and smoke coming from behind the wooden walls of the park.

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Officials said no one was injured and the fire has been extinguished.

Images after the fire show the area charred, with surrounding trees burned and the roof of the enclosure collapsed.

OCFR originally found one animal that perished in the blaze.

“Our crews did encounter at least one large deceased snake within the remains of the enclosure,” OCFR spokesman Andrew Sullivan told News 6.

Wild Florida officials gave an update Sunday on Facebook, saying that none of the reptiles inside the exhibit survived, although a total number has not been released.

“Sad to report a small electrical fire destroyed our snake exhibit today,” according to the Facebook post. “Unfortunately, none of the reptiles survived the fire and it breaks our heart to lose these beautiful animals. No one else was harmed or injured in the accident.”

Wild Florida remains open and said the incident will not interrupt normal business. The attraction plans to rebuild the snake exhibit.

“We plan to rebuild and continue to provide a safe, educational experience for our guests,” Wild Florida officials said on Facebook. “This incident will not interrupt our normal business operations and we’ll be fully open tomorrow, Dec 14. Fitting end to a rough year...2020 will always be remembered as a rebuilding year!”

Stay with News 6 for updates.

Sad to report a small electrical fire destroyed our snake exhibit today. Unfortunately none of the reptiles survived the...

Posted by Wild Florida on Sunday, December 13, 2020

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