St. Francis Protects Zoo Animals from Fire

No animals were injured in a fire at Zoosiana (the Zoo of Acadiana) over the weekend and some believe it’s because a saint was watching over them! Firefighters responded to the back of Zoosiana, the Zoo of Acadiana, shortly after 10:30 Saturday night. By the time they arrived, the train depot at the zoo was fully engulfed in flames. The fire was enormous. The flames rose three stories high. It was so hot, the concrete slab started to explode. The train depot, the train, and everything in the immediate area was destroyed, everything except a statue of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals! The owner of the zoo, George Oldenburg discovered the statue, unscathed Sunday morning amid the smoldering ashes. “I got goosebumps when I saw it. I mean, it’s unbelievable! The Holy Spirit was here protecting my animals, that’s for sure,” said Oldenburg who is a parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Broussard. Oldenburg, who lives on the grounds, had no idea what was going on until he received a phone call late Saturday night. “When I opened up my eyes, all of my windows were glowing orange. It was a panic situation,” Oldenburg said. The area where the fire was burning was only feet away from the giraffe and monkey enclosures. Oldenburg said his main concern was for the animals. “They’re trapped in enclosures. I was prepared to start releasing them. I’d rather see them run free than have a death like that. I was ready to drive my truck through the fence to release them,” Oldenburg said. Firefighters were able to put the fire out, but not before the zoo’s train and depot were destroyed. Still, Oldenburg believes it could have been much worse. “I believe I had a miracle. It’s been so dry around here. It would have been easy for the fire to engulf the whole zoo. We’re surrounded by bamboo and wooden walkways. It’s a miracle it didn’t all go up. Why the flames stopped right there, I think it’s because of St. Francis. He was protecting the animals.” Despite the loss of the train and depot, the zoo remains open. The area is closed off and the rest of the zoo remains fully functional. Oldenburg plans to rebuild the train depot and replace the train. He’s also considering creating a special place within the zoo for the statue of St. Francis. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.