Fire kills every animal inside The Jungle Box mini zoo in Buntingford

The soft play centre, which opened in June last year, also included a mini zoo and pets corner that was home to several small animals, including meerkats, owls, iguanas, giant tortoises, and a 16ft snake.

Sadly, after extinguishing the blaze, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that all animals in the building at the time of the fire had died. No people were harmed during the incident.

Assistant chief fire officer Darren Cook said: "In the early hours of the morning we received calls to a significant fire at The Jungle Box in Buntingford.

"Crews worked hard to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighboring units. I’d like to thank all crews for their professionalism and hard work and fire control colleagues for their calm and efficient handling of the calls.

"We can confirm that a number of animals were inside the building at the time of the fire and did not survive.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway.