Lightning strikes Turtle Back Zoo causing fire, sea turtles rushed to safety

Lightning hit the Sea Turtle Recovery Hospital at the Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey, causing the building to catch fire.

The lightning struck the West Orange building around 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday.

Sea Turtle Recovery (STR) rushed to the hospital and said when they arrived the West Orange Fire Department and others were working to put out the fire.

Sea turtles were exposed to heavy smoke so they were moved to a safe building inside the zoo.

Staff and volunteers, along with zoo staff immediately assessed the turtles.

Sea Turtle Recovery said that a critically endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle, named Pickles, was in the hospital fighting a respiratory infection.

During his emergency exam, his heart rate dropped dangerously low.

Dr. Paluch, STR's Vet, had the staff put Pickles in an emergency pool which helped stimulate deeper breathing and helped him recover.

"Our Loggerhead, a Green Sea Turtle, and all 3 Kemp's were stabilized. We headed the 4hrs to NY as the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society began preparing their tanks for our arrival. Our day has not stopped, and we have been up without rest. The turtles are now safe, and they are being monitored closely," the recovery service said.

The organization is grateful to the fire department for putting out the fire and the staff who quickly spotted the blaze and got the animals to safety.

STR said that their tanks and filtration may have been damaged in the fire, but they have not been able to assess the equipment yet.

If you'd like to help the turtles you can sponsor two of their turtles or donate at seaturtlerecovery.org . Also, you can text "SEATURTLE" to 202-858-1233 to donate.

The Turtle Back Zoo was able to open on Thursday for normal hours.

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