They Put Out the Fire at the Zoo. Then, a Tragic Find

Two giraffes were found dead Monday evening after firefighters battled a blaze at a Virginia zoo, officials said. A two-story barn at Roer's Zoofari caught fire around 5:30pm Monday night, news outlets reported, via the AP. The two giraffes were found after the fire was extinguished. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said no other animals were injured. "We are all devastated by this incident," says Vanessa Stoffel, one of the owners of the family zoo.

Per Stoffel, one of the giraffes who died was Waffles, a 6-year-old who came to the zoo in 2016. The other giraffe was Waffles' new companion, who hadn't been at the zoo long enough to be named, she notes. Waffles "was extremely popular with all our staff and guests," Stoffel says. It's unclear how the giraffes died. A cause for the fire wasn't immediately determined. A Facebook post from the zoo said it would be closed until further notice.

(More giraffes stories.)