VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Aquarium’s Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center caught fire Tuesday night, resulting in the displacement of all animals.
The Virginia Beach Fire Department was dispatched to the aquarium after a fire and significant amount of smoke set off the fire alarms.
Staff assisted first responders in safely removing all five sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation from the building. Some invertebrates were lost the night of the fire, and a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle has also since died. Officials said the sea turtle was extremely compromised at the time of the fire, and there is no determination if smoke exposure contributed to its death, as additional tests are pending…