A fire at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden Monday evening summoned 40 firefighters and caused $75,000 in damage but did not harm any humans or animals, according to District Fire Chief Randal Freel.
The fire started in a restaurant food smoker around 5:25 p.m., Freel said. The zoo closes at 5 p.m. on Mondays, so there was no danger to customers. Crews spent 15 minutes containing the blaze. Although the Fire Investigative Unit had also been called to the scene, crews had not identified the cause of the fire by 9 p.m. Monday.