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Gatorland Theme Park Damaged by Fire

One of Florida?s landmark theme parks, Gatorland, endured a three-alarm fire, which engulfed the park and killed a crocodile and two pythons. Snakes, birds, iguanas, flamingos, turtles, and a plethora of other creatures were spared, but the Orlando, Florida theme park had lost its alligator-mouth entrance in the fire. After all of the damage has been assessed, the park will most likely reopen within a few weeks.

Currently, the cause of the fire is still unknown, but it is under investigation. So far, arson is not suspected. Firefighters remained on the scene Monday, putting out hot spots, after arriving on the scene after 6 AM, when reports of the fire had been called in. The 110-acre family-owned park and wildlife preserve had its gift shop, ticket booth, and the aforementioned gator-mouth entrance had bee all but destroyed. This entrance is an icon of the park and also represents the natural wildlife found in the State of Florida.

It definitely wasn?t business as usual for the family owners, workers and wildlife of Gatorland. Michelle Harris, a spokeswoman for the park, explained that the four-foot-long crocodile and the two six-feet-long pythons were in an enclosure near the gift shop during the fire. The estimated damage is ?definitely in the millions of dollars?. According to Harris, the owners do not believe that it will take that long until Gatorland is open again. The park opened in 1949 and draws more than 400,000 visitors a year.