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56 exotic animals killed in fire at West TN wildlife sanctuary.
BROWNSVILLE, TN - More than 50 animals died after a Mid-South wildlife sanctuary was destroyed by fire.
Ark R.A.I.N. Wildlife Sanctuary in The Brownsville, Tennessee has worked to save exotic animals for 14 years.
A porcupine and a tiger named India were among the survivors. A kangaroo named Tucker survived, but was burned in the fire. Fifty-six other animals were not as fortunate.
"It's like losing your own children," said Tim Davies, owner of Ark R.A.I.N. "It's devastating."
Davies said the fire started while he and his wife were asleep around 8:00 a.m. Friday.
"The thickest black smoke I've ever seen in my life," said Davies.
Davies said he did everything he could to try to save his animals while stumbling through the smoke.
"The smoke was so bad, I couldn't see," he said. "I was calling the dogs. I could hear them barking. It was awful. Cats were crying and everything."
Davies finally realized he needed to get out.
"It was filling my lungs and just hot and thick," said Davies. "I watched the whole roof go up in a total blaze. It looked like a bomb, it went up so fast."
Davies said he believes Tucker was burned because he was trying to get out during the fire.
"He couldn't see us through the smoke," said Davies. "He kept running and trying to get in through the window."
The Davies said the fire also destroyed all of their supplies to take care of the surviving animals. He said they could only get minimal fire insurance because of their exotic pets.
The Brownsville Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire.