INDIANAPOLIS , Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Indianapolis Zoo officials said a fire that killed 14 animals may have been started by an armadillo that moved material too close to a heat lamp.
An investigator working on behalf of the zoo's insurance company said the Nov. 10 fire appears to have started in the zoo's Critter Corner building, directly above the armadillo's containment area, WRTV-TV, Indianapolis, reported Thursday.
"It is suspected that the armadillo that occupied the pen below the lamp somehow pushed either enrichment material or bedding into a pile below the lamp close enough that ignition occurred," the zoo said in a news release.
The insurance investigator said the electrical system in the building was functioning properly before and after the fire and no heat lamp or wiring malfunctions have been discovered.
Zoo officials said the blaze killed three box turtles, four birds, two rodents, a snake, an armadillo and three hissing cockroaches.
The officials said the zoo has received $120,000 to repair the damage and the Critter Corner building should be reopened within 60 days.
