Fire burns Gatorland; 2 pythons, 1 crocodile killed

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- A three-alarm fire broke out in one of central Florida's oldest attractions early Monday morning, killing three animals but injuring no one at Gatorland.

Gatorland spokeswoman Michelle Harris said two 8-foot (2.4-meter)-long pythons kept in a holding pen near the gift shop were dead, as was a 5-foot (1.5-meter)-long crocodile.

The blaze charred the concrete alligator mouth tourists walked through to enter the park -- an old Florida icon that has appeared in movies, magazines and countless tourists' pictures.

A crocodile named Mr. O, who was kept in the same area with the animals who died, was feared dead but was later found alive, Harris said. He stayed safe by dipping underwater in a pond, Harris said.

The other few thousand of the park's animals were kept in pens away from the fire or in enough water to protect them.

The fire, reported at 5:55 a.m. ET, destroyed the park's 7,000-square-foot (630-square-meter) gift shop, entrance and some administrative offices. Other office space and the places where Gatorland entertainers perform were not damaged.

The park opened in 1949 and attracts about 400,000 tourists each year. It features exhibitions of people wrestling gators, a "jumparoo" show where the big reptiles leap for food, and "up close" encounters where guests can hold snakes, scorpions, spiders and birds.

Orange County Fire Battalion Chief Vince Preston said the souvenir store was engulfed in flames when the first crews arrived.

"It had already been through the roof; it was obvious that this was going to be an extended operation," he said.

Preston said it took about two hours to get the blaze under control. It was declared out, despite some nagging hot spots, at about 12:30 p.m. ET.

Harris said the giant gator mouth was still potentially salvageable.

She said officials would try to reopen the park as soon as possible, but it was unclear when that may be. They will have to create another entrance for guests.

"This park is like an old alligator. Gators fight, they get scarred up, they get beat up, they tear each other up, but they're resilient," Williams said. "This park's been here for 57 years. We're not going anywhere. It's the alligator capital of the world. It's got a few scars and smudges on it, but we'll clean it up."