Staff rush to rescue animals as fire tears through pet store and garden centre

Staff at a pet store that was the scene of a major fire have been commended for returning to the burning building to rescue more than a dozen animals trapped inside.

The blaze broke out at Johnsons Garden Centre and Boston Aquatics and Pets in Lincolnshire on Sunday at around 11:30am, reportedly after multiple explosions.

Footage captured by police drones searching for potentially explosive gas canisters within the premises showed the fire tearing through the back of the store, creating plumes of smoke visible for miles.

The store had chosen to remain open in a limited capacity during the coronavirus lockdown to sell food, pet essentials and some garden supplies.

“A few staff members bravely tried to help put the fire out with extinguishers, but they sprayed the hedges instead to contain it when it became too severe,” said Boston Aquatics and Pets owner Sarah Scuffham.

“Then they returned to the building and evacuated the animals, and most importantly got themselves out before it got too dangerous.

“I can’t praise them enough, they acted on instinct and undoubtedly their actions saved the lives of these animals.”

Six guinea pigs, nine hamsters and one rabbit were rescued in total, although staff were unable to evacuate fish as their tanks were locked to the ground.

“They all appear okay so far. The fire wasn’t near their tanks luckily,” said Ms Scuffham, 46, who wasn’t present at the time of the fire.

“The risk was mainly the smoke as they have small lungs. They were taken out in evacuation boxes to my house.

“I had the pleasure of having them for the night and they are back now after being fed and watered. They are absolutely fine, but the loading area is damaged.

“We have a storage room burnt to the ground and quite a lot of stock is lost. I can’t even guess how much it is worth and we are going through it all now to count the cost of the damage.”

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Boston, Kirton and Leverton attended the scene to extinguish the inferno.

Johnsons Garden Centre, a family-run business, wrote on Facebook: “Everybody is safe and nobody has been hurt. All the pets are also safe. The staff are all a little in shock, but we are relieved that nobody has been hurt.”

The store thanked customers for their “hundreds of kind messages” as it reopened on Monday, adding: “If you want to help, stay at home and stay safe unless coming out for essential supplies for you or your pets”.

Additional reporting by SWNS

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