'Heartbroken': Owners say animals died in Fayetteville pet store fire - WRAL.com

'Heartbroken': Owners say animals died in Fayetteville pet store fire - WRAL.com

'Heartbroken': Owners say animals died in Fayetteville pet store fire - WRAL.com

Posted: 25 Apr 2021 06:48 PM PDT

By Kasey Cunningham, WRAL reporter & Gilbert Baez, WRAL Fayetteville reporter

Fayetteville, N.C. — A woman said she is heartbroken after her family's pet store went up in flames Sunday night in Fayetteville and many animals died inside.

Aqua-Rama Pets, located in the 4900 block of Bragg Boulevard, sells a large variety of aquarium fish, reptiles and small animals like bunnies and hamsters.

"It's all gone. My family is just heartbroken," one owner told WRAL News, saying firefighters were only able to save a bunny, a large bird and a few snakes.

The nearby On-After Pub & Grub posted a video showing the severity of the fire and multiple emergency responders at the scene, saying, "Our hearts go out to our friends over at Aqua-Rama."

Joe Spano has owned the pet store since 1984.

"I really can't describe what it was. It was my life, to be honest with you, my family's life, my grandkids, everybody. But you know, life goes on," said Spano.

The fire broke through the roof shortly after crews arrived. One crew declared an emergency due to a ceiling collapse, but they were able to safely evacuate the structure.

Firefighters said the fire started in the back of the store around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday. When they arrived, smoke and flames were shooting from the back of the building. Then, the roof collapsed.

"So [after that], we requested additional units come to the scene," said Fayetteville Fire Marshal T.J. McLamb. "They were able to evacuate safely, then regroup and then fire attack again."

Firefighters were able to save some of the pets on Sunday night. On Monday, Spano and his family salvaged what they could and mourned what they lost.

"Most of the reptiles didn't make it. None of the birds made it, except for one. I think that they got three snakes, some turtles, the one bird and I think, a bunny. That's what made it," said Spano's daughter Dawn Trivette.

As fire investigators try to figure out what caused the fire, Spano said he can't believe this Fayetteville icon is gone.

"I have three and four generations coming to this shop," he said. "I've [been] waiting on their grandmothers, their kids, their grandchildren. I'm going to miss it."

More On This

Map

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post Posted: 05 Jun 2016 12:00 AM PDT With exacting precision, the surgeon inserted the scalpel above the eyeball and cut out a snotty deposit of fatty tissue. The routine eye-lift was nearly complete when suddenly the patient awoke, suffocating, and began to flop about on the table. The audience gasped. Knowing time was of the essence, the surgeon scooped up the patient in his arms, raced across the stage, and dropped her into a tank of water. She revived. Because she was a fish. Yes, fish eye-lifts exist. As do fin jobs and tail tucks. The operating theater was a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a pet expo was under way. As for the patient, she survived, her formerly droopy eyes now bright and perky. A good thing, too, as this was no ordinary goldfish but rather an Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium denizen, rumored to sell for as mu
Read more

Reviews: Horrified SeaQuest Aquarium Visitors Tell All | PETA - PETA

Image
Reviews: Horrified SeaQuest Aquarium Visitors Tell All | PETA - PETA Reviews: Horrified SeaQuest Aquarium Visitors Tell All | PETA - PETA Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:00 AM PDT SeaQuest aquariums—which are owned by Vince Covino—are plagued by issues: animal deaths, legal violations, injuries to employees and members of the public from direct contact with animals, and customer reviews that'll make your jaw drop (and not in a good way). So if you've ever considered visiting a SeaQuest location or any other Covino-operated aquarium, do yourself and animals a favor: Learn from these TripAdvisor and Yelp reviewers. At SeaQuest Folsom in California, an otter was apparently whacked with a broom. "This place smells the animals look tortured and starved. I'm not a fan of this place. Took my family and we ran out of there. … We will never go back. Also we saw an employee wack an otter with a broom. … If you love animals you will hate t
Read more

Eight different exotic fish species recorded in Ganga river: Kataria - Outlook India

Image
Eight different exotic fish species recorded in Ganga river: Kataria - Outlook India Eight different exotic fish species recorded in Ganga river: Kataria - Outlook India Posted: 17 Sep 2020 12:00 AM PDT New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Eight different exotic fish species were recorded in a study on fishes in Ganga river, Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State in the Jal Shakti Ministry, said on Thursday.             Many ecological parameters like dissolved oxygen conductivity indicated that the river health is improving, Kataria said.             In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Kataria said under the Namami Gange Programme, a project of ''Assessment of fish and fisheries of the Ganga River System for developing suitable conservation and restoration plan'' was sanctioned to Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) for Rs 7.067 crore. The purpose of the exercise was to study fish and fisheries of river
Read more